Chuck Versus the Kitchen
by FluffyPikachuLovesYou
Summary: By the age of 25, Sarah Walker had become the world's youngest chef to receive three Michelin stars. After her success in Italy, Sarah decides to move to LA and open her own restaurant. Enter Chuck Bartowski: a 25-year-old computer engineer who just lost his job. He applies for a job at Sarah's new restaurant, and gets one… as part of the waitstaff. AU; Charah
1. Prologue

I'm BAAAAAACK! Did you miss me? I missed y'all... Like. So much. That hiatus lasted a lot longer than I thought, BUT, I've been working on this story since May. It's crazy. I'm almost halfway through writing it and I thought... why not just post it now? So here I am! You're wishes have come true! LOL! Anyways, I've got goal. I want to reach 1k+ reviews by the time this story is complete. Would y'all be awesome and do that for me? Pretty please? You'd be the best! So... Here's the Prologue! Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Chuck as Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz are the gods of their creation and Warner Brothers hasn't put up the brand for sale.

* * *

It was an old abandoned warehouse in Hollywood Heights: dingy, dusty, disgusting. And Sarah loved it. After meeting with a realtor, an architect, and a contractor, the construction of her new restaurant, _Il Castello_ , was underway.

It had always been a dream of Sarah's to open her own restaurant. Having grown up in Hell's Kitchen, New York, Sarah was surrounded by some of the best restaurants in the United States and that was what set her on her path as a chef. During her high school years, Sarah had taken every culinary class her school had to offer, joined every culinary competition, and worked at some of the finest restaurants in New York. Granted, being a minor, she worked as part of the wait staff, or as a hostess. At one restaurant, she'd worked as a busboy – or was it 'busgirl'?

By the fall semester of her senior year in high school, Sarah Walker had gotten word that she had been accepted into the CIA – The Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park campus) – one of the most renowned culinary schools in the world, on a full scholarship. There, she earned her Associate's Degree in Culinary Arts and her Bachelor's Degree in Culinary Science, graduating both times at the top of her class, all the while working as the head chef in a couple of different restaurants around Hell's Kitchen. From there, she transferred to the CIA's Napa Valley campus for one year to take part in their Wine and Beverage Graduate Certificate Program.

Upon receiving her certificate, Sarah found work in Modena, Italy, as the Head Chef of _Il Ristorante di Cibo_. There, she earned the restaurant three Michelin stars in three successive years, making her the youngest chef to ever receive three Michelin stars in the world. Despite her success, Sarah still hadn't fulfilled her dream of opening her own restaurant. So, four months after receiving her third Michelin star, Sarah packed her bags and moved back to the United States.

Her family had asked her, "Why Los Angeles?" As a response, Sarah only shrugged. It was new. She'd spent a couple of weekends in Los Angeles whilst at the CIA in Napa, and she'd felt as though the food scene was different in the City of Angels; it was different, eccentric, exciting. She wanted to be a part of it. So, she rented an apartment at Maison23 and found an abandoned building in Hollywood Heights to transform into her very own restaurant.

As the building was being renovated and her restaurant built, Sarah spent the downtime planning her menu, and interviewing and auditioning the members of her kitchen staff. She had plenty of fresh faces that could hold themselves up to Sarah's standards. She also got some older, more seasoned chefs auditioning for a spot on her kitchen staff. Knowing the importance of a good dynamic amongst the members of a kitchen staff, Sarah made her choices based on not only skill, but also personality. She also hired her old friend, John Casey, as her kitchen manager. They'd worked together over a summer in one of the restaurants in Hell's Kitchen. He was the kitchen manager there while she worked as the kitchen's prep cook. She was pleasantly surprised to find that he'd moved to Los Angeles some years ago, with his wife for his daughter, Alex, who went to UCLA and would be graduating by the end of next spring. He'd accepted the job right away, happy to leave the current place he worked at.

She was also pleasantly surprised to receive an application for the front-of-house manager position from Michael "Big Mike" Tucker. They, too, had worked together in the restaurant business back in New York – though it was a different restaurant than the one she'd worked at with John Casey. At the time, she'd worked as a waitress and he as the front-of-house manager. Big Mike's reason for moving out to Los Angeles had been because of he and his wife's divorce. He wanted a fresh start, as far away from his ex as possible.

With her two managers and kitchen staff in place, Sarah had the luxury to delegate certain tasks and responsibilities, allowing her to focus on the big picture: the soul of her restaurant. After generating a preliminary menu, Sarah rented out a kitchen space from the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, and had her kitchen staff test it out. Casey would supervise and get back with her with the results. Big Mike actually volunteered to interview the front-of-house staff for Sarah, to which Sarah shrugged and handed him the stack of applications. She trusted him to pick out the best possible staff.

Sarah, on the other hand, was meeting with interior designers in order to try and catch the exact atmosphere she wanted for her restaurant. She wanted to a combine the classic, medieval, castle-like look with the more modern, elegant, mansion look to represent the creation of traditional dishes though modern techniques.

Before long, her restaurant was complete and fully furnished with custom made furniture and top of the line equipment in the kitchen. She spent the first couple weeks finalizing her menu and getting to know her kitchen staff. Then, she checked in on the wait staff's training to make sure that they were up to her standards. They were, by all intents, the face of the restaurant. They were whom the customers interacted with and if they weren't up to par… Well, Sarah couldn't have that. The front-of-house service was just as important as the back-of-house service. Once Sarah was completely confident in her staff and their food, she scheduled a preview dinner with some of the celebrity chefs that resided in Los Angeles. She wanted to get their opinions on her dishes and their thoughts on her possible success.

A week after the successful dinner, in which all the chefs in attendance sang praises for the dishes, the atmosphere, and the wait staff, _Il Castello_ had it's grand opening. Reservations were made from the moment of announcement and were never ending. They were already up to a month's notice for reservations. The house was packed all though out the night, leaving the entire kitchen staff in the weeds. Despite the chaos that ensued in the kitchen, _Il_ _Castello_ had a very successful opening night and very successful subsequent nights.

By that point, Sarah Walker was living her dream. And what a dream it was.

* * *

And there you have it! I'll try to get regular updates but no promises this time around. School is pretty hectic still.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	2. Chuck Versus the Wait Staff

And... We're back! I'm glad you all enjoyed the prologue... Now, on to Chapter 1!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Chuck as Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz are the gods of their creation and Warner Brothers hasn't put up the brand for sale.

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the Wait Staff**

It was safe to say that Chuck Bartowski was at a dead end in his life. He used to have direction, a job, a career. But that all went to shit when Roark Instruments went bankrupt and dissolved; everyone who worked there soon found out what it was like to be unemployed. Chuck had been one of those people. Having graduated from Stanford with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering with double minors in Marketing and Hospitality. He'd been a computer programmer at Roark Instruments in the marketing department, working mostly to improve the website graphics, functions, and appealing his changes to their target audience in order to optimize their amount of page visits. And he genuinely enjoyed his job. He loved working with computers but now that was over. Unable to pay for his own apartment, he'd moved back in with his sister, Ellie Bartowski, and her boyfriend, Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb.

Chuck felt terrible about having to live with his sister and her boyfriend. Sure he knew that his sister and Devon didn't mind. They actually were the ones that suggested he live with them while he searched for a job as a way to save the money he did have. But just the fact that he was a grown man having to live with his sister and not being able to at least help pay for the rent, even if both Ellie and Awesome were doctors, made him feel inadequate. He'd tried to help around the apartment – laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc. – but he found that he'd rather not deal with his sister's, or even the Captain's, unmentionables if he didn't have to. Cleaning he did voluntarily, but only in his room and in the public areas of the house. He didn't even want to go into Ellie and Awesome's room both out of respect and fear for what he might find, not that he expected to find anything traumatizing. He just wanted to be completely sure. Cooking? He'd always left the cooking around the house to Ellie even when they were two teenagers left on their own by their parents. There was only one dish he could cook and even then it was to the barest minimum of edibility. So, there wasn't really much he could do in that department.

And, it wasn't like he wasn't searching for a job. He'd applied to multiple places but each one of them bore no fruit. Then came the ad for openings for the restaurant that the famous Sarah Walker was opening just down the road from his apartment. He'd applied for the position as the front-of-house manager, hoping that his Stanford degree, and two minors in hospitality and marketing, would help him get the job.

But alas, he'd found out that some other guy had gotten the job. He was getting close to wallowing in self-pity when he'd gotten a phone call from the restaurant.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hello," the voice on the other end of the line greeted. "My name is Michael Tucker from _Il Castello_. May I speak to Charles Bartowski?"

"This is he."

"Yes, I understand that you applied for a position at our restaurant."

"Is there still a position open?" he asked, wincing at how desperate he sounded.

"Not for the position you applied for, unfortunately," Michael informed him. "However, we do have a number of positions open for the wait staff. If you were interested in one of those positions, I'd like extend that opportunity to you."

"Absolutely!"

"Perfect. When would you be available for an interview?" Michael inquired.

"What times do you have open?"

"I can fit you in at three this afternoon?"

"That's perfect!" Chuck said, hoping that he didn't come off as desperate as he was.

"I will see you then, Mr. Bartowski." Chuck hung up and punched the air, jumping up from the couch. Ellie had just happened to walk in, seeing the look of elation on her younger brother's face.

"Woah! What's going on? Did you hear back from one of the jobs you applied for?" she asked, amusement and curiosity evident in her voice.

"Actually, Sis, yeah. That restaurant I applied to, _Il Castello_."

Ellie frowned. "I thought you said that job was taken."

"It was, but someone just called saying that they still had some openings on the wait staff and offered me a job," Chuck explained. "I know it's not much and that I can do better–"

"Chuck," Ellie interrupted her bother's rambling before it took off. "It doesn't matter. A job is a job. Those are hard to come by these days. Take what you can get. And, you're always welcome to stay here until you can get back on your own feet."

Chuck smiled. "Thanks, El. For always being there to support me," he said.

"Always, little brother. That's what family's for."

"Thanks. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go get ready for an interview." With that, Chuck rushed off to his room to change into his suit.

Needless to say the interview was more of a formality than anything. From the moment Chuck walked in, he knew he had the job just by the way Michael had greeted him. And sure enough, he was now a member of the _Il Castello_ wait staff.

He worked hard through training, as was his standard M.O. He didn't have anything to prove, but he felt incomplete when he wasn't doing his absolute best on a job, no matter what the job was.

When they'd been introduced to the owner, _the_ Sarah Walker, Chuck felt all the air get sucked out of his lungs. He already knew what she looked like. She was on the cover of most of Ellie's cooking magazines and was famous in a lot of the cooking circles. He knew from Ellie herself that she was the youngest chef to receive three Michelin stars. When he was first told that, he had thought about Michelin tires and was confused until it was explained to him that a Michelin Star was one of – if not the most – prestigious award that a chef could win for his or her restaurant. And, to earn three was a huge accomplishment, to win three in three successive years was an even greater accomplishment. To push it even further, Sarah had not only accomplished both of those things, she was the youngest person in the world to do it. Chuck was actually pretty shocked that even _Morgan_ knew about her success.

But standing in front of her, listening to her talk about her goals and dreams for the restaurant, really let him see just who the woman in front of him was, the way her eyes sparkled with her passion for cooking and her restaurant. He could tell by the way she spoke that this endeavor wasn't about success. _Obviously,_ he thought. _If she wanted success, she could have easily stayed in Italy._

And, in addition, her beauty was out of this world. Her blonde hair was pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head and her chef's whites, or rather her chef's blacks – as her uniform was black – were fitted stylishly to her body, accentuating her many, many assets. On her right shoulder was a patch of the restaurant's emblem: the silhouette of three castle towers with the words _Il Castello_ floating in an arch above them and the words _Ottimo Servizio, Ottimo Cibo_ in a down arch under them. On the left side of her chest was her name monogrammed with the title _Head Chef,_ _Owner_ underneath in neat italics. The other kitchen staff members that Chuck had seen all wore white, but he figured Sarah would wear something different being the head chef and all, though he wasn't sure if there was any true difference to the colors that were worn. Sarah had ended her motivational speech to them and smiled before heading back into the kitchen, leaving Big Mike – as was the name Michael Tucker had told them to address him by – in charge once more and their training to continue.

Opening night was chaotic. Chuck had never waited before and the training that they'd gone through really helped. Despite the chaos of waiting on several different tables and balancing trays of food and drinks, Chuck was able to bring every table their proper orders accurately and on time.

There was one thing he needed to work on though: the slang. The kitchen and other, more experienced wait staff members were calling out phrases and words and he had no idea what they meant. He was practically playing a guessing game with their meanings.

As he was grabbing the dishes for table 12, he heard another server come up to the window yelling, "I need eight salmon, all day!" placing the ticket on the little clip. Chuck blinked in confusion momentarily before brushing it off and taking his plates to his section.

A little later, he heard another server yell, "Give me a filet mignon and kill it!"

The first thing he did when he got home was pull up Google and searched "kitchen slang" and "restaurant lingo and slang". He'd found out that "all day" stood for the total amount of a particular dish he needed and that "kill it" was to cook something extra, extra well done. He'd studied the jargon until he fell asleep and all morning when he woke up. With _Il Castello_ being a dinner service restaurant, he was free to study all morning. And that was what his days were like for the next couple of weeks: spending the mornings learning restaurant vocabulary and helping clean around the apartment and his afternoons and nights at the restaurant. That was when he started practicing his use of the new terms, all the while hoping not to look and/or sound like an idiot.

One morning, he'd woken up and realized that he'd left his phone at the restaurant the night before as he was so exhausted and passed out on his bed right after he stripped to his boxers and T-shirt when he got home. Showering and changing into fresh clothes, Chuck got his keys and wallet and headed out to his car. It being a Sunday, the restaurant would be closed, as per Sarah's request, which made sense since she needed a day off, too. It was no matter; Chuck had a key to the back since he would be in charge of unlocking the main rooms for opening come Monday. He arrived at the restaurant and entered through the employee entrance and headed straight into the employee break room to his locker where his phone was sitting inside. Sliding it into his jacket pocket, he headed back to the door but could hear something from the kitchen. Curious since no one was supposed to be in the building, he went to check it out. He peeked inside and saw Sarah standing at the prep bench chopping away at some vegetables. He marveled at the skill she used when handling the knife. It was lightning quick as she diced tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions, and minced garlic.

"It's not polite to stare," she said suddenly, not bothering to look up, causing Chuck to jump. How long had he been watching her?

"Uh… Sorry, Chef," he replied sheepishly. "I forgot my phone here last night and I just came by to pick it up. I heard something from the kitchen and got curious. I'll just… Uh… Go."

"No. Stay," she said. "I could use some company." Chuck cleared his throat and stepped further into the kitchen.

"Uh… Yes, Chef." Sarah turned around and looked at him, an amused smile on her face.

"Is the restaurant open right now?" she asked.

"Uh… no…"

"And are either of us on the clock?"

"No…"

"Then, it's just Sarah," she said. Chuck nodded slowly.

"Okay… Sarah." She went back to her chopping while Chuck looked on.

"You're Charles, right?" she asked suddenly, stopping what she was doing, looking at him. At Chuck's stunned silence, she rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know your name. I know all of my employees' names."

"Uh… yeah. But most people call me Chuck."

"Chuck, huh? That's not very common nowadays."

"Well, my parents were sadists…" he said trailing off, belatedly realizing that Morgan wasn't there to finish the joke. To his delight, Sarah still chuckled.

"Well then, _Chuck_ , do you know how to slice tomatoes?"

"Um… No. Not really. I don't really cook all that much."

"No? Then how do you live? Don't tell me you live off of take out and pizza." There was no judgment in her tone. Just amusement.

"I'll have you know that I have an extensive assortment of take out menus and pizza places," he defended, to which Sarah chuckled again. "And besides, it's not like my sister would even let me in her kitchen. She's the chef in our household."

"You live with your sister?" Sarah asked. It was an innocent question, but Chuck still winced slightly.

"Ahh…. Yeah…" Sarah heard the embarrassment in Chuck's response and immediately started to retract her question.

"I didn't mean it like that!" she exclaimed. "I don't mean to talk down at you, I just–"

Chuck chuckled. "Sarah it's fine. I know what you meant. It was an innocent question. The answer is yes; I do live with my sister. I uh… lost my job when Roark Instruments went bankrupt. My sister let me stay with her until I had found a good paying job of my own to support myself again. Or at least until I've saved enough to get a place of my own again." Chuck felt awkward about telling his _boss_ about his financial and personal issues, but Sarah didn't seem to mind. Instead, she seemed to be deep in thought.

"That's really nice of her," she finally said.

"Ellie is the best person I know," Chuck agreed. They lapsed into a semi-awkward silence so Chuck decided to change subjects. "So, uh… You know why I'm here," he began. "What are you doing here on your day off?"

Sarah shrugged. "It's been a while since I've cooked just for the fun of it. Lately, it's all been for customers and critics and the like. Sometimes I just like to cook for myself. It's a great way for me to de-stress." Chuck nodded in understanding.

"What are you making?"

"Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccini and fried green onions."

"Ahh… I've had many people order that," he said.

"Yeah?" Chuck nodded. "And what do they say?"

"They love it, of course."

"And you? What do you think of it?"

"Well, I've only tasted it, you know with the rest of the dishes, but it's all good. I do have to admit, I'm more of a steak kind of guy anyways." Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"I can throw a steak in there, too." Chuck's eyes widened.

"What? No! I couldn't possibly!"

"Oh, come off it," Sarah waved nonchalantly. "It's the least I could do. I mean, you are giving me company." Before Chuck could protest, she disappeared into the fridge and pulled out the proper ingredients to make him a filet mignon. She was already dicing more vegetables and seasoning the steak.

Once everything was done, she fired up the grill and the stovetop, Chuck blinked when he noticed that she'd already had a large pot sitting there with boiling water. _Had that been there the whole time?_ he thought. "So I guess your mise is all done, huh?" he asked, testing out his new vocabulary.

"What?" Sarah asked, with a slight chuckle.

"Your mise," he repeated. "You know. Your prepped items?" At that Sarah laughed a full laugh and Chuck made a silent promise to himself to do everything he could to get her to laugh like that all the time. It was a melodious laugh.

"Is that… not what it is?" he asked, confused and a little embarrassed.

"No, it is," Sarah said, finally calming down from her fit of laughter. "But you're saying it wrong." Chuck blinked.

"It's pronounced ' _meeze'_ not _'mize'_ ," she explained. "It's French. Short for _mise en place,_ which means 'everything in its place.'"

"Well now I feel like an idiot," Chuck said with frown. "I wonder what else I've been saying wrong this whole time." Sarah laughed again as she continued to work around the kitchen.

"You really _don't_ know your way around a kitchen."

"Ah… No, not even close. Trust me, I can't cook to save my life. I'm a computers kind of guy. Websites, software, networks. Things like that." Sarah shot him a questioning look.

"So why apply for a restaurant job?" she asked.

"I do have a minor in hospitality, thank you very much," he replied defiantly. "I originally wanted the job for front-of-house manager but that was already taken. Big Mike hired me as a server instead. I took what I could get, you know? I needed a job."

"I see…" Sarah thought for a while as she sautéed the garlic, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, and chicken for the sauce. "Well, are you looking for some extra cash?"

"What?"

"I'm looking for a web-designer and computer technician to help me with building a website for the restaurant and somehow connect that to the network here so that we can start taking online reservations rather than have someone sitting on the phone all day," Sarah said. "I'll pay you the same rate I was planning to pay the guy I'm looking into."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"I mean… Yeah, sure. I can do it. No problem," he said. "I uh… I can probably do it now. You know, while you cook."

Sarah looked at him wide-eyed. "Really?"

"Yeah. It's no problem," he said. "Let me just go get my laptop from my car." Chuck ran out and grabbed his backpack, which he always kept in his trunk, and ran back into the restaurant. As Sarah finished cooking their meal, Chuck pulled up a text page and began to write some code. Nothing flashy, just the basics to get the website functioning. He could add the other stuff later.

As she waited for the steak to sear, Sarah snuck a peek back at the man who was sitting on a stool at one of the prep stations not in use, typing away at his laptop. He was interesting. Not like the other men she'd known: arrogant and suggestive. Most of the men her age either tried to prove that they were better than her at cooking or tried to get into her pants. Chuck did neither of those two things. He was adamant that he could not cook at all and not once looked at her in a way that made her feel like he was undressing her. When she'd caught him staring at her before, she noticed a look of admiration and respect in his eyes. He didn't have that lustful glint at all. And when they spoke, it was so natural. There were no cheesy come-ons or lame pick up lines. It was just like they were two friends having a normal conversation and sharing a laugh.

Sarah couldn't even remember the last time she'd had something like that with someone her age. She was a loner in school, always wanting to be in the kitchen practicing her technique than out at the mall with the other girls. Over the summer, it was all about what new thing she could learn while working at the different restaurants in New York. When she attended the CIA, everyone considered everyone else the competition. It was every man for themselves over there. Sure she'd made a couple of acquaintances and maybe a few friends, but there was always the undertone like, 'I have to do better than you,' or 'I can't believe you got a higher score than me on that dish.' It was never fully relaxed and real with them. In Italy, she spent most of her time advancing her technique and doing what she could to put out good food for the customers. In the end, she must have done something right as she'd earned the restaurant three Michelin stars, one of which they'd lost when she left, as per tradition.

It felt natural to just be with him and laugh at the lame, but admittedly funny, jokes he told and his obvious innocence in the kitchen. She could tell that he'd spent time learning the jargon and she thought it was absolutely adorable. Now, there he was, sitting hunched over his laptop, his fingers flying away at the keyboard, the tip of his tongue peeking out from between his lips ever so slightly and his brows furrowed in deep concentration. Shaking her head with a smile, she turned back to the dishes she was preparing and finished plating shortly after.

"Break time," she said, interrupting Chuck's rhythm on the keyboard. He looked up at her. "Time to eat." She slid him his plate and some utensils before settling in a stool next to him. She'd combined the dishes she was planning on making so their plates had a little bit of everything on it: slices of the steak, a curl of the pasta with the sauce on top, and the slices of fried green tomato.

"Man…" Chuck said. "This looks really good." He pushed his laptop to the side and she could see him mentally devour the food on the plate. He took a deep breath. "And it _smells_ even better!"

"Let me know how it tastes," she said, already picking up a piece of the cut filet.

"Trust me, if the look and smell are any indication, this meal will be the best of my life." A pause. "Don't tell my sister I said that." With that, he grabbed his fork and took a bite. It was a rather large bite, to which Sarah slightly winced at the lack of finesse. But he moaned and his eyes fluttered closed at the flavors. "Oh, my God. I was right," he moaned, his voice muffled by the food still in his mouth. "This is the greatest pasta and steak _ever._ " Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on. It's not _that_ great," she said, taking a bite of the fettuccini. "I mean, the pasta sauce could use a little bit of sugar to counteract the slight saltiness of the cheese and chicken, and the steak could have marinated for a bit longer in the rub before I threw it on the grill," Sarah said. She took a bite of the fried green tomatoes. "The tomatoes are perfect though. Tender, yet crunchy, not too salty, not too much breading. It's a recipe tried and true," she said. Chuck looked at her. "What?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked disbelief on his face. "I definitely agree that these tomatoes are absolute perfection, but so are the pasta and steak! You, Sarah Walker, have a gift. Hell, you could pay me in _meals_ for the computer stuff I'm doing for all I care." He took another bite, chewed, and swallowed. "But don't actually do that," he added. "I need to put up my share of the rent next month." Sarah laughed at Chuck's response. She agreed with him that the flavors were actually perfect. It was the best meal she'd ever cooked in her opinion. She only started listing her normal complaints for the meals just to see how he would react and it was definitely worth it.

"Well, I'm glad you like it," she said.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I more than like this food. I might even love it." Sarah smiled at him in amusement and continued to eat her own meal. Once their plates were empty, Chuck turned back to his computer and turned it back on. "Alright," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Tell me, how do you want this page to be designed?" He pulled out a sheet of paper and pen and handed it to her, gesturing for her to do a rough sketch. She explained how she wanted it to look and how she wanted each page to connect, drawing boxes and writing small labels for him. All the while, Chuck typed away on his computer. He nodded every now and then to acknowledge that he was still listening to Sarah. When Sarah was finished, she sat silently as he continued to type away on his computer, she looked at his screen and only saw strings of letters, numbers, and characters. It was both mesmerizing and confusing at the same time. Then he stopped and looked at her. "Do you have a domain in mind?"

"A what?"

"A domain. Like: www-dot-blah blah blah-dot-com."

"Oh!" Sarah finally caught on. "Yeah. IlCastelloRestaurant," she said. "You know… dot-com." Chuck nodded slowly.

"I figured," he said, his tone being as if to say, _now who's the naïve one?_ Sarah smacked him on the shoulder lightly.

"Oh, shut up," she laughed. He typed the domain in the browser and found that it hadn't been taken yet so he clicked the inquire button. Thirty minutes and one company credit card number later, Sarah was the proud owner of her very own website domain. Chuck, immediately went to work on the website, sourcing the code to the domain.

"And done," he said another hour later. "It could take a while, but the website should come up just as you want it. In the meantime, let me take a look in your server room and see if I can configure the online reservation activity you want for the site." He grabbed a tablet and cord from his bag and followed Sarah to the server room – which was more of a room just a bit larger than a supply closet – going to work the moment he hooked up his tablet.

Sarah thought that Chuck just standing there watching her with that strange look while she cooked was weird, but she could now understand why. Chuck was completely in the zone as he worked with technology. The way his fingers moved as fast as her knife did when she was mincing or dicing was the just as mesmerizing. And, he was so knowledgeable in this field, she felt as if she were wasting his talents having him wait on tables.

"Alright…" he said, disconnecting everything. "I've got all the codes and configurations. I also went ahead and put in a firewall to protect your network from viruses and hackers. It's the absolute best in the world. I should know. I designed it," he said, just a hint of pride and maybe a little bit of arrogance injected into that last sentence. And while Sarah would have normally scoffed at such a remark, she had no doubt that he was telling the absolute truth. "I also put it on your website, too. That way it's protected. If we're gonna have the website link up to the network to schedule reservations, I don't want to take any chances with possible back door entrances." Sarah blinked.

"Chuck?" she interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"You lost me at codes and configurations." Chuck smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry," he apologized. "When I get started, it's really hard for me to stop."

"No problem." Chuck cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I'll just… uh… go do this," he said, waving his tablet lightly in his hand, before stepping around Sarah and heading back to his laptop in the kitchen. He pulled up the website and was elated when the page he and Sarah had designed popped up.

"Woah…" Sarah breathed in awe. "That's exactly how I pictured it."

"I'm glad." He'd pulled up some pictures Sarah had of the restaurant's interior and exterior, as well as pictures of the guests during the grand opening and of the various menu items, and scattered them throughout the pages. "Now… Let me just get this configured…" he trailed off as he pulled up a dialogue box and began typing away again at lightning speed, occasionally taking a glance over at his tablet. It didn't feel like an hour, but soon in that amount of time, Chuck finished typing and clicked Enter, returning the page to its home screen, the only difference between before and the current page being the large 'Reserve A Table' button in the top right corner. He clicked on it and went through the reservation info, reserving a table for two. When he submitted his reservation, a pop up showed informing him that a confirmation email would be sent to him. Sure enough, his phone dinged with an email from _Il Castello_. Finally, he logged onto the server's network and checked to see if the reservation was there. It was. Chuck punched the air in victory. "Yes!" he exclaimed. "It worked!"

"Seriously?"

"Yup," he nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. Sarah looked at the man in front of her in disbelief, realizing that he would not be earning too much money for his work as he'd finished the job in only several hours. She racked her brain for another way to repay him.

"You're hired," she blurted.

"What?" he chuckled with slight confusion. "Um… Sarah… In case you haven't noticed, I already work here."

Sarah shook her head. "I know that. But I'm talking about a different job. One more suited for your skill set."

"And that would be…"

"Cooking." Chuck blinked.

"Was that a joke?" he asked.

"Oh, my gosh. Yes, you moron. That was a joke." Chuck chuckled at that.

"Okay, seriously. What's the job?" he asked. Sarah looked into his eyes.

"I want you to be the restaurant's PR-slash-IT."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. It's perfect. You have minors in marketing and hospitality, so you know how the business runs for the most part, and you have the computer skills to make the changes necessary to keep the number of patrons high. This way, I can also focus on owning the restaurant and leading the kitchen staff." She nodded as she explained as if she was talking _herself_ into thinking that it was a good idea. "And don't worry, you'll be getting a pay raise since your job is much different now."

"So… no more waiting tables?" he asked, somewhat bittersweet at the thought. It wasn't that he enjoyed it, but he worked hard and enjoyed dealing with the patrons that were friendly to him. On the other hand, no more balancing trays with hot plates and a million drinks.

"If you want," she answered. "You can continue to wait on tables when you're not doing anything PR or IT-ish. You know, that way, you'd have something to do." Chuck nodded. "Don't worry too much about the details, we can discuss it later. But I need to know now: do you want the job?"

Chuck stared at her for a second as if contemplating if this were really happening. Then, he smiled.

"Yes."

* * *

And there it is! I hope you enjoyed that! More to come next week!

And, _"Ottimo Servizio, Ottimo Cibo"_ means "Excellent Service, Excellent Food" in Italian, if you didn't already know or couldn't figure it out.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	3. Chuck Versus the Cooking Lessons

I'm so glad y'all are enjoying this! Welp, on to the next chapter! Btw, who here has been rewatching Chuck on Netflix? Because I am and I just got through the first half of season three and I'm being reminded about how much I ABSOLUTELY HATE SHAW. #SaveChuckAgain #AndThrowInAMovieWhileWereAtIt

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Chuck. If I did, it would never be removed from Netflix and would still be on television.

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the Cooking Lessons**

They'd decided that Chuck would continue to work as a waiter and would come in as the PR/IT specialist when needed and Sarah would pay him the extra amount appropriately. It'd been two months since the Sunday that Chuck and Sarah spent together in the kitchen and that hadn't happened again since then. In fact, the two hadn't really interacted much since then, what with Sarah being busy at the back of the house and Chuck being busy at the front of the house. The two didn't really mind. They didn't exactly expect to become best friends after one meeting. They were friendly, sure, but the kind of friendly that was expected between a boss and her employee.

So, there they were, on a Saturday night, as usual, Sarah leading the kitchen and Chuck out in the dining room at his station, waiting on his tables. Toward the end of the initial dinner rush, a couple was seated at one of his tables. He gave them a minute to get settled before heading over. When he got there, both heads of the patrons were buried in the menu. " _Bonjourno_! Welcome to _Il Castello_. My name is Charles and I'll be your server this evening," he said in greeting, hoping the sound of his voice would get the couple to look up from their menus. "Can I start you off with anything to drink?" He pulled out his pad to write their orders and when he looked up, he nearly dropped it. "Ellie? Awesome?"

"Hey, Chuckster!" Devon exclaimed. "What are the odds that you're our server?! Awesome!"

"Uh… yeah… totally," he agreed. He wondered why Ellie and Devon didn't tell them that they were planning on having dinner at the restaurant. Shaking it off, he focused on being professional. "So, what can I get for you?"

"Can we get a sample of the Cabernet Sauvignon?" Ellie asked.

Chuck wrote it down. "Sure. Be right back." He went to get the bottle and returned, pouring just enough in one of the glasses for them to taste.

"We'll take it," his sister said. He nodded and poured a half glass for each of them.

"Are you… uh… ready to order?" he asked.

"Yes, we'll start off with the fried calamari and fried green tomatoes," Ellie said, taking control. "For my entrée, I'll have the stuffed flank."

"Let me have a crack at that filet mignon," Awesome added. Chuck noted their orders onto his pad.

"Great. I'll go ahead and get these started."

"Thanks, Chuck," Ellie said with a smile. Chuck nodded and went to bring the ticket to the kitchen. As a last minute thought, he decided to stamp it with 'VIP'. He called out the order and handed the expediter the ticket and turned to tend to his other tables when he was stopped.

"Bartowski!" John Casey, the back-of-house manager, called him. The man was extremely intimidating. He had the body of an ex-military service man, probably the marines, and the voice of a drill sergeant. Whenever he yelled at someone, all you ever want to do is cower in fear, which is what Chuck was on the verge of right at that moment. To make things even worse, Casey knew where Chuck lived. He and his wife had moved into the vacant apartment unit across the courtyard from his own.

"Yes, sir?" he asked cautiously.

"Who's the VIP? A critic? Celebrity?" Chuck's eyes widened. All around him, the kitchen stopped momentarily to hear his answer. He looked around and his eyes caught Sarah's. She had the most curious face out of everyone else.

"Uh… It's… uh… family?" Casey narrowed his eyes at the server.

"Family?" Chuck wanted to curl in to a ball, or whip out 'the Morgan', whatever protected him best from the chewing out he was going to receive. "You don't just put VIP for anyone, Bartowski. That's reserved for 'Very Important Persons.' Hence the V-I-P."

"Cool it, Casey," Sarah stepped in. She turned to the rest of the kitchen. "Everyone get back to work. Leave the VIP mark on the ticket. Chuck, can I talk to you?" Chuck bit his lip nervously.

"Uh… Sure." He followed her toward her office. She opened the door and he entered, immediately trying to explain himself. "Sarah, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have put VIP on the ticket. But it's Ellie and I wanted to make sure that she was well taken care of. Not that we don't take good care of all of our customers because we do! We always do. I just wanted her to have some special treatment is all…"

"Are you done?" was all Sarah asked when he finished talking. He nodded. "Good. Chuck, I'm not mad."

"You're not?"

"No. You told me how much Ellie means to you," Sarah reminded him. "Don't worry about her meal. I will personally be in charge of their dishes."

"You will?"

"Absolutely. And, I'll even have our IT guy flag their names so that if they make another reservation in the future, everyone will be aware to treat them like royalty," she added with a wink.

"Really?"

"Really. Now get back out there before I change my mind."

"Yes, Chef." He moved to leave and was almost out the door when Sarah called him, stopping him once again. He turned to her, question in his eyes.

"Let's avoid this situation again. Your sister and her boyfriend are the only ones I'll be lenient with this."

"Yes, Chef." He turned and left to finish waiting to his tables. He was turning over tables as quick as he could and once he had the bill printed out for Ellie and Awesome, he made his way over to them, only to stop in his tracks. Standing by his sister's table was Sarah Walker herself. They seemed to be having an amicable conversation as the couple enjoyed the remainder of their desserts. All around them, the patrons were surreptitiously giving small glances at the appearance of the head chef and owner to a seemingly ordinary couple out on a date. Taking a calming breath, Chuck made his way over to the table.

"I'm glad you enjoyed the food," he heard Sarah say.

"We expected nothing less than perfect and we got that and more," Ellie said, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "I just can't believe that I'm meeting you! I'm a big fan of yours."

"That's very kind of you to say."

"I do have to say, though," his sister continued, "that I'm glad you didn't hire Chuck as part of your kitchen staff–"

"Hey, sis," Chuck interrupted, hoping to defuse whatever Ellie was leading to. "I have your bill."

"Nonsense, Chuck. This meal's on me," Sarah said. Chuck's eyes widened and looked over at Ellie for help.

"That's very kind of you, Chef," his sister said. "But Devon and I can handle the bill. You've done more than enough for us already."

"Yeah, Chef. Ellie and Devon are both doctors," Chuck added. "They can handle it." Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"I still insist," Sarah protested. "I consider Chuck a friend and that extends to you as well. Let me do this one time." Ellie, Devon, and Chuck all exchanged glances before acquiescing. Chuck handed the bill to Sarah who put it in her pocket. "It was a pleasure meeting the two of you." She shook their hands as they stood. Then she looked at Chuck. "Don't you have other tables?" Sarah asked the server, amusement and laughter in her tone. Chuck's eyes widened comically and his cheeks were tinted red.

"Y-Yes, Chef," he said before turning away. Sarah bit back a laugh as she returned her attention to the elder Bartowski sibling.

"I hope you enjoyed tonight," she said.

"We did, thank you, Chef."

"Please, call me Sarah."

Ellie smiled. "Of course, Sarah." They shook hands once more before Ellie and Devon made their exit and Sarah returned to the kitchen.

At the end of the night, everyone was gone with the exception of Sarah, Chuck, and her two managers. Casey and Big Mike were giving their reports to Sarah for the night's run. Chuck, on the other hand, was in the server room, running his weekly security checks and scanning for updates, while also flagging Ellie and Devon's names the way Sarah told him to. When he finished, he stood from his chair and went to gather his things from his locker. On his way out, he noticed the light in Sarah's office still on, even though he'd heard Casey and Big Mike leave half an hour before. He knocked on the door. "Sarah?" he called out. Sarah looked up from her computer at him. She'd already changed out of her chef's uniform and into a nice blouse and jeans.

"Chuck!" She was actually surprised he was still there. "What are you still doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," he shot back with a smirk. "I was just running the weekly diagnostics on the servers." Sarah nodded in understanding. "What about you?"

"Just going over these numbers. We've been doing really well," Sarah said.

"Did you have any doubt? I mean, this is _your_ restaurant."

"Every restaurant owner will have their doubts and anxieties." There wasn't much Chuck could say to that, so he changed the subject.

"Thanks again, by the way, for earlier with Ellie and Awesome," he said. "You really didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to," Sarah waved him off. "By the way, what was Ellie was trying to say before you showed up? Something about you not being hired as part of the kitchen staff?" Chuck sighed.

"That's just Ellie being an older sister. She's been making fun of me and the fact that I work for one of the most highly acclaimed chefs in the world and I still don't know how to properly boil water. Or make ice." Sarah laughed at that.

"You know, I could teach you how to cook," she offered. "That way your sister would get off your back about it."

"Oh, no. I'd rather not accidently burn you or cut you or anything. Besides, you've already done so much for me."

"Oh, come on, Chuck," Sarah said. "I enjoyed spending time with you that one Sunday. Like I told your sister, I consider you a friend. I promise I won't judge you." Chuck just looked at her, still unsure. "So, tomorrow. I expect you here at noon," she said, leaving no room for arguments from Chuck. The man, in turn, simply crossed his arms over his chest.

"Fine." Sarah stood and gathered her things, shutting off her computer and turning off the lights. Chuck, ever the gentleman, walked her to her car, both surprised and not at all to find out that she drove a 2007 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet. Yeah. Chuck knew his cars pretty well. He whistled lowly. "Damn… That's a nice car." He held his hand out, as though hesitant to touch it. Sarah laughed, especially when Chuck decided to retract his hand, deciding that the car was too expensive and luxurious to actually touch.

"I'm glad you like her just as much as I do," Sarah said. "This is my baby. She's actually my first car. I just bought her when I moved here."

"Are you serious?" Chuck asked incredulously.

"Yup," Sarah nodded. "Never needed a car in New York; I always either walked or took a cab. In Italy, I lived close to the restaurant so a bike was enough. I did get my license though when I was at the CIA. I figured if I was going to apply for my voter's registration card, I might as well get a license, too. So, I took the class and test and passed. Never used it though. At least, until now."

"And for your first car, you decided to go with a Porsche?" Sarah shrugged.

"Go big or go home?" She said sheepishly. Chuck looked at her with a blank expression.

"You came here to start a restaurant. That's pretty big in itself." Chuck took another look at the car in awe. "You know what? I think I'm gonna let you get in your car and drive off before I start _walking_ to my car." Sarah laughed again, unlocking her car, tossing her things into the passenger seat. Chuck held the door open while Sarah slid into the driver's seat. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yup. Bring your game face on."

"Great. Looking forward to humiliating myself," Chuck deadpanned.

"You'll be fine, Chuck."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The next day, Chuck woke up and got ready, changing into one of his favorite T-shirts, a brown one with a single floppy disk in the center labeled, 'My Entire Life,' a pair of jeans and his signature black Converse hi-tops. He stepped into the kitchen area to prepare himself a bowl of cereal, when he saw his sister sitting at the table with her own breakfast. "Hey, El," he greeted.

"Hey, Chuck."

"Where's Awesome?"

"He had an early morning procedure," she explained.

"I see…" He poured milk into his bowl and joined Ellie at the table. "Thanks a lot by the way," he said.

"For what?"

"Your little comment last night to Sarah about me not being able to cook earned me some cooking lessons."

"What?" Ellie asked confused.

"Sarah offered to teach me how to cook because of the crack you made about how it was a good thing she didn't hire me for the kitchen staff," Chuck elaborated. Ellie's eyes widened in realization.

"Oh!" She burst into laughter. "That's really great!"

"No, it's not," Chuck disagreed. "Sarah's my boss. This is totally embarrassing!"

"Oh, get real, Chuck," Ellie rolled her eyes. "Sarah's a great person. She doesn't care about anything like that. Besides, she said so herself: she considers you a friend."

"I know, but next time, please refrain from saying potentially embarrassing things in front of her."

"Next time?" Ellie said with a raised brow. Chuck's eyes widened at the implication.

"What? El! You know what I mean!"

"Chuck…" the elder Bartowski said with a teasing tone. "Do you like Sarah?"

"Ellie! What am I, twelve?!" Chuck yelled, flabbergasted at the turn of the conversation. "You always do this whenever I just _mention_ a girl."

"I'm just saying, Chuck. Sarah is a _very_ beautiful girl. Even more so than Jill."

"Stop," Chuck said. "I thought we agreed never to mention her ever again." Ellie sighed.

"Chuck, I get it. Jill broke your heart. But it's time for you to move on. If it weren't for your job at Roark Instruments, I'm sure you would've found yourself in a depressive slump, working at the Buy More with Morgan." At Chuck's frown and lack of response, Ellie sighed again. "Look, Chuck, all I'm saying is that I totally get it if you do have feelings for Sarah. And I will always support you in everything you do. Okay?" Chuck looked over at his sister, the woman who took charge of raising him when their parents took off, and smiled.

"I know. And I'll always be there for you, too, Sis." He pushed his empty cereal bowl away from him. "How do you feel about a brother/sister hug situation right about now?" he asked.

"I wouldn't be opposed to it," she replied. The two of them stood up and hugged each other. "I love you, Chuck."

"I love you, too, El."

When they released each other, Chuck grabbed his phone, wallet, and keys, and headed out the door. When he pulled into the employee lot at the back of the restaurant, he saw Sarah's car already parked in her reserved space. Sarah herself was standing next to it, leaning against the window, a smile on her face. He pulled into the open space next to her and got out of the car. "Wow," she said, pushing off her car, coming around to meet him on the curb. "A Toyota Yaris, huh?"

"Hey, now. Don't judge," Chuck protested. "This bad boy got me through college, alright? Respect the Yaris." Sarah held her hands up in surrender.

"I take it back," she said with a smile. They shared a laugh. "You ready?"

"I think the real question is, 'are _you_ ready?' I mean, you're the one who has to taste whatever it is I cook." Sarah laughed again. She'd been doing that a lot ever since she'd first met Chuck. She liked it.

"Come on, Chuck." She led them into the kitchen, pulling on her chef's jacket, handing Chuck one for himself.

"So," Chuck began as he buttoned up the jacket. "How come you wear a black jacket and everyone else wears white? Is it because you're our boss? You wanna show everyone you're of higher rank?" Sarah looked over at the man and sensed no ill thoughts from him; it was then that she realized he was joking.

"Very funny," she deadpanned. "I'll have you know that I wear the black because I'm the one that goes out into the dining room when people ask to see the chef. How would it look if I went out there with multi-colored food stains from cooking?"

"Like you actually do your job?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not saying that you _don't_ do your job. I'm just saying, people wouldn't – or rather shouldn't – mind if you came out a little messy."

"They do. Especially since I'm a woman." She saw the look of protest on Chuck's face and shrugged. "It's fine, Chuck. It's just the way it is. I wear the black so that if there are any stains, they're less noticeable."

"I gotta admit that that's really smart, even if the reason is totally sexist and a _total_ double standard. Because I'm sure that any male chef who stepped out there covered in food stains from his _job_ would be considered manly and hardworking." Sarah marveled at the man in front of her. He looked at the world so differently from the other men she'd encountered. And while she'd already made that assessment that first Sunday they'd spent together, his rant about double standards and how it wasn't fair only served to further substantiate her original opinion. She, however, would never tell him this to his face – at least, not yet. Maybe. Instead, she went the other route: diversion.

With a smirk, she said, "Quite the feminist, aren't ya?"

"I guess so, if you want to put a label on it," Chuck shrugged. "I just think that women are just as strong as men are, if not stronger. And they deserve way more respect than they receive." Sarah felt her heart do a flip and she didn't know what it was. It was strange, foreign, different. She didn't know what to think of it so she did what she usually did: shove it down and bury it until she had the time to process it.

"Alright," she said, changing the subject. "Let's get cooking."

"What do I do first?" Chuck said clapping and rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"You cook."

"What?" His expression was somewhere between shocked and confused and it made Sarah want to giggle.

"I want to see what you can do so I know where to start," Sarah explained. "So, cook me your best dish and I'll judge it."

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely."

"You're not kidding."

"Not one bit."

"You said you weren't gonna judge me!" Chuck countered.

Sarah simply shrugged, a smirk evident on her lips. She took a seat on a stool and gestured for him to begin. "Whenever you're ready." Chuck blinked and then started to move about the kitchen, raiding the pantry and fridge, getting everything he needed for whatever dish he was preparing. Sarah watched him, making mental notes about his technique. There were a lot of notes to make. The first thing she noticed was how he diced the vegetables; it was sloppy and the pieces were coming out uneven. The second was the fact that he didn't properly season the chicken breast he was using; he just tossed a bit of salt and pepper on it. _At least he seasoned it with_ something, she thought. From there, the list just kept growing.

Finally, Chuck set a plate of food in front of her. Sarah checked her watch and saw that nearly an hour had gone by. "There you go," he said.

"Present your dish."

"What?"

"When you hand a dish to a judge, you have to present it if they don't know what you've cooked," Sarah explained.

"Oh! This is just like _Hell's Kitchen_!" he exclaimed. Sarah was familiar with the show enough, though she didn't particularly like her kitchen being compared to the hell and chaos that transpired on the show. She ran a tight ship, but she didn't scream or degrade her staff.

"Sure. But perhaps not in quite so much detail."

"Right. Well… today, I've cooked Chicken Parmesan on a bed of spaghetti noodles with a garden fresh salad and toasted garlic bread on the side." Sarah nodded and examined the plate's presentation. She wasn't going to judge him on that too much, since the sole purpose of their being there was to help him learn how to cook, not train him to be the next _Iron Chef_.

She picked up her fork and knife carefully dissected the dish. She pushed the chicken aside, deciding to wait to taste that last. She picked up some of the noodles. _Not pre-cut to easily edible bites_ , she noted when the noodles didn't separate naturally. She took a bite. _Not seasoned. Bland._ She tested the texture with her tongue. A _t least they're cooked properly,_ she added. She snuck a peek up at Chuck who was standing there, wringing his wrists, a nervous look on his face. She moved on to the salad. She pushed it around a bit before taking a bite. _Vinaigrette out of the bottle; nothing wrong with that._ The salad was a basic salad made by tossing vegetables together and adding some dressing on top. _At least he couldn't screw_ that _up._ Next, she picked up the garlic bread, which had a nice toast on it. She took a bite and noted that he'd used garlic powder. A _lot_ of garlic powder. Finally, the main part of the dish: the chicken. She cut into and knew right away. She took a bite to confirm her suspicions: the chicken was as dry as a desert. The salt and pepper rub he'd used sucked up the little moisture that boneless chicken breasts have and because he let it sit for as long as he did while he did the rest of the prep, it just helped the moisture escape from the breast. It was also extremely bland. She had to depend on the cheese and marinara sauce to swallow it. She set her utensils down and pushed the plate away. When she looked up at Chuck, she could see the dejection and disappointment in himself in his eyes. She didn't think he could even bring himself to speak. Sarah felt really bad. She'd had to criticize a number of dishes before, and not once did she ever feel bad for tearing it apart piece by piece. But something about the way Chuck looked made her want to break the news gently.

"It's terrible, right?" he asked. "I told you it'd be terrible."

"Chuck, stop," she cut in. "It's not all bad. You're just missing a lot of the basic fundamentals of cooking, which is understandable because you've never been taught or trained in anyway. The fact that nothing on the plate here was burnt or undercooked is a _huge_ pro."

"Which I'm sure is outweighed by the number of cons on the dish," Chuck countered. Sarah couldn't really argue against that. She shook her head. She needed to boost his confidence.

"It doesn't matter. A win is a win. We have a place to start. Which is good." She walked him through everything that he did wrong and how he could improve. She also took the time to highlight what he got right in order to take away the sting of his failures on the dish. When she finished, she stood up and grabbed some more of the ingredients he'd used and some extra things. "Alright," she said, washing her hands. "Let me walk you through the proper technique." And that's what she did. She showed him the proper way to hold a knife and the proper way to cut, telling him to start slowly and focus on keeping the size of the cut pieces consistent. "Good," she nodded in approval. "Very good." She taught him tips and trick in cooking pasta and taught him the proper way to season a chicken breast. But throughout it all, she never touched his station. She showed him by doing it with her own ingredients. By the end of it, they had two meals prepared.

"Wow," Chuck breathed. "That took forever." Sarah nodded in agreement.

"But look. Your dish is near identical to mine."

"But do they taste the same?" Chuck countered.

"You wanna know how to truly test that?" Sarah challenged.

"How?"

"You take the one you made home to Ellie. Don't tell her who made it. Let her guess," Sarah said, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"You think that would work?" Chuck wondered.

"Only one way to find out." They packed up Chuck's meal and shared Sarah's, talking about random things as they ate.

"No way," Chuck gasped. "What do you mean you don't like music?!"

"I just… never had time for it."

"Never… What? I don't believe you one bit. You have to have _one_ favorite song." Sarah just shrugged. Chuck couldn't believe the enigma of a woman in front of him. There were so many layers to her and he just wanted to explore each one and get to know the woman that was Sarah Walker: what she liked, what she disliked, what made her tick, what made her laugh. Everything. "Seriously? Okay. You need a music education." He gasped. "You need a music-cation." Sarah laughed at that, getting up to clean up around them. Chuck stood up and helped as well.

"I teach you how to cook and you teach me music appreciation?" she asked with a raised brow. "Sounds like a fair trade."

"Oh definitely." Chuck checked his watch. "Ooh. I should probably get this home to Ellie. It's getting pretty late. We were here for a long time."

"Really?" Sarah checked the time. "Oh, my gosh. You're right! I guess time flies when you're having fun."

"This _was_ fun, wasn't it?" Chuck asked, gathering his things.

"The best time I've had in a while," Sarah admitted as they made their way out of the building. "Thank you." Chuck shook his head.

"No, Sarah. Thank _you_." They stopped in front of their cars. "For everything. It can't be easy teaching me how to cook."

"Actually, it's the complete opposite," Sarah said. "You learn really quickly. You're the easiest person I've ever taught."

"You're just saying that." Sarah shook her head.

"Chuck, I never say anything that I don't mean." A beat. "Unless of course I'm only joking around. And trust me, I'm not joking around about this." Chuck gave her a smile. "So, next Sunday. Same time?"

"Absolutely." Chuck scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Chuck."

They both got into their respective cars and drove their respective ways home. When he was there, he was happy to see Ellie still up. She was on the couch watching television. "Wow," she said when he walked through door. "You were out pretty late. Were you with Sarah?"

"Yeah," Chuck answered. "But before you start using those gears in that genius brain of yours, we were cooking pretty much the whole time. There was – and still are – a _lot_ of things I need to improve on." He was going to nip any dirty thoughts Ellie was no doubt planting right in the bud. "By the way, I brought you some leftovers."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Sarah likes to teach by example so we both made the same dish. Hence, the leftovers." Ellie reached out and took the box from Chuck's hand. She unwrapped the plastic-ware from its packaging and cut into the chicken, taking a bite.

"Oh, my god. This is really good. Like… _really good._ " Ellie moaned. "Tell Sarah, when you see her tomorrow, that she has outdone herself." Chuck smiled.

"You really like it?"

"Of course I do. This is a fantastic Chicken Parmesan. The breast is so moist and the flavors are like little grenades exploding all over my tastebuds." Chuck's eyes widened.

"Okay… That's getting a little too graphic for my liking, Sis," he told her, slightly uncomfortable. "But I'm glad you really like it, because Sarah didn't cook it."

"What?"

"She didn't."

"But you said…"

"I said Sarah made a dish. I never said that it was _that_ particular one," he smirked.

"Wait… So… You cooked this?"

"Yup."

"All by yourself."

"Pretty much. Sarah showed me what to do with her ingredients, but she never once reached over and held, prepared, or cooked anything that is on that plate," Chuck explained. "That, is _my_ Chicken Parmesan." Ellie's eyes went wide.

"Oh. My. God," she nearly whispered. "Chuck, in only one day, Sarah has you cooking up to her level?"

"Well… Like I said, she was there guiding me, every step of the way."

"But you _made_ this. And it's _good._ "

"Gee. Thanks," Chuck deadpanned. "Anyways, I'm going to bed. Enjoy the rest of the food."

"Goodnight, little brother! I love you!" Ellie called from the couch, her voice muffled by the food she'd stuffed in it.

"G'night, Sis. Love you, too!"

* * *

And fin. How was that? Aren't Chuck and Sarah so cute? Like. So adorable.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	4. Chuck Versus the Food Critic

Hello there my wonderful readers! Are you ready for another Chapter? Welp, here ya go! Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Chuck. If I did, it would never be removed from Netflix and would probably still be on television. #SaveChuckAgain #AndThrowInAMovieWhileWereAtIt

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the Food Critic**

Chuck showed up to work extra early the next day and was one of the first ones there. Aside from him, the only other cars in the employee lot belonged to Sarah and, what Chuck assumed to be the cars that belonged to the prep-staff. Chuck made his way into the building and put all his things in his locker, putting on his server's vest. He peeked into Sarah's office and found that she wasn't there. Then, he checked the kitchen. She wasn't there either. "Hey Vicky," he greeted one of the prep chefs.

"Hey, Chuck," she smiled at him. "You're here early." Chuck shrugged.

"I'm in charge of opening the front today." Vicky nodded in understanding. "By the way, have you seen Chef?"

"I think she's in the main dining room."

"Thanks." Chuck gave Vicky a friendly smile and made his way out to the dining room. That's when he saw her. She hadn't changed into her chef's outfit yet and she looked so beautiful. "Sarah!" he called out, running up to her. The moment she turned around, Chuck was already right beside her. Before she knew it, she was lifted into the air and spun around by the taller man.

"Woah!" She laughed at Chuck's antics. Chuck put her down, but still held her in his arms. The ear-to-ear smile on his face was infectious. "Can I help you?" she asked, laughter in her voice.

"You are a genius!" he exclaimed.

"And you're just now figuring that out?" she smirked. "I'm guessing Ellie was impressed with your cooking?"

"Are you kidding? She thought it was _yours_!"

"She did?" Sarah asked, shocked at the fact that Chuck's food was good enough to be mistaken for hers. The competitive side of her bristled at that, but the other side of her, the one that was a friend and teacher first, was so proud of Chuck. It turned out the friend side of her overpowered her competitive side when it came to Chuck.

"Yeah. She said that you, and I quote, 'have outdone yourself.' Her mind was totally blown when she found out that I was the one that cooked it," Chuck said. There was a childlike innocence in the way that he said that. As though he were a kindergartener who came home with a gold star for one of his assignments. Sarah hugged him.

"See?" she said, excited for Chuck's progress. "You can totally cook. You just need someone to guide you."

"And I am so lucky to have _you_ be the one guiding me." The smile he had on his face was the most genuine smile she'd ever seen and she had no doubt that he meant every single word he said. She was completely confident that it wasn't a line or a move. There was no ulterior motive in what he said and it was so _Chuck_ of him, as Sarah had termed, seeing as she could not come up with a single word that described his genuine kindness, sweetness, innocence, and all around compassionate personality.

"It's my pleasure." They looked into each other's eyes and they were frozen solid, neither moving. He wasn't even sure if either of them were breathing. They were simply stuck in that position and Chuck didn't exactly have an aversion to the proximity. It was extremely easy for him to get lost into her baby blue eyes. Sarah shared the same sentiments as she truly stared into Chuck's eyes for the first time. They were light brown like chocolate with hints of hazel and green, giving a kaleidoscope effect. The two continued to stare into each other's eyes, until a voice called out, breaking them out of their trance.

"Walker!" came Casey's gruff voice. The two jumped apart and looked to see the older man turn the corner into view.

"Yes, Casey?" Sarah asked, her voice steady. She apparently was having a better time pulling herself together than Chuck was. He looked around, trying to avoid looking into the larger man's eyes.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"Just thinking about how we could improve the dining hall. I'm thinking about maybe hiring a band," Sarah said. "Did you need something?"

"Not really. Just letting you know… I got word that Roan Montgomery is coming tonight for a review," he said. Sarah merely nodded and just as quick as he came, John Casey was gone, leaving Sarah and Chuck alone once more.

There was an awkward silence, as neither of them wanted to discuss what had just happened between them, seeing as neither of them knew what happened themselves. When he couldn't stand the silence anymore, Chuck broke it. "Who's… Um… Who's Roan Montgomery?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"He's a food critic for the LA Times," Sarah explained, somewhat distractedly. "He's kind of a big deal right now seeing as he recently won a Pulitzer Prize. A good review from him would do wonders for the restaurant." Chuck wanted to roll his eyes. Every night since opening – which was months ago by that point – had been packed. The restaurant was doing extremely well. And, while he understood the need for critical recognition, he knew that Sarah didn't really need to worry seeing as she could out-cook pretty much everyone in her sleep.

"I'm sure he'll be thoroughly impressed with the dishes you'll put out." Sarah nodded, still in that distracted state. Chuck got the feeling Mr. Montgomery's visit was the thing occupying her thoughts. Wanting to steer the conversation elsewhere, he brought up another thing he'd heard Sarah say. "So, by the way," he continued. "What's this I hear about you hiring a band?" That seemed to snap Sarah out of her current state.

"Huh?" It took everything in Chuck to not laugh at the confused expression on Sarah's face. It was the complete opposite of her usual focused and driven demeanor. Not to mention, she was absolutely, positively, adorable.

"A band. You told Casey that you were thinking about hiring a live band."

"Oh. Right," Sarah shook her head to clear the rest of the cobwebs. "Yeah. I was thinking we could have an instrumental band come out and play some music every now and then."

"What kind of music?" Chuck asked.

"I don't really know," Sarah admitted. "I just thought it'd be nicer than playing 'Instrumental Pandora' over the PA." Chuck nodded in agreement.

"Well, before you can go around making life-changing decisions like that, we need to fill you in on music," Chuck smirked, referencing the conversation they had the night before. Sarah shoved him playfully and looked at him with a raised brow.

"Go do your job before I fire you," she said, walking away from Chuck. Chuck, on the other hand, just watched her leave him with a goofy smile on his face. Sarah Walker was _definitely_ quite the woman.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

It was midway through dinner service that a single man was seated in Chuck's station. As he approached, the hostess, Greta, stopped him. "That's Roan Montgomery, the food critic," she told him in hushed tones. Chuck nodded in understanding, gave the critic a once over, and decided that the man didn't look to be very intimidating. He had snowy white hair and a kind face. The nerd in Chuck could easily see the man as a stereotypical debonair super spy, long after his retirement. The man definitely did _not_ look like Anton Ego from _Ratatouille._ Putting on his best smile, Chuck approached the critic.

"Hello, Mr…" Chuck didn't want to give the impression that he knew just who the other man was.

"Montgomery. Roan Montgomery." Even catching the Bond reference, Chuck didn't miss a beat.

"Good evening, Mr. Montgomery, My name is Charles and I will be your server this evening. Is there anything I can start you off with to drink?" he said in his most friendly voice.

"An ice cold, dirty martini, _three_ olives, to start," said the man. "And, can I go ahead and order my appetizers?"

"Absolutely."

"Great. I'll start with the fried green tomatoes, fried zucchini, and the stuffed mushrooms." Chuck nodded, jotting down Mr. Montgomery's orders. When he arrived at the back, he input the order, stamping the ticket with 'VIP.'

"Roan Montgomery is in my station," Chuck told Casey, wanting to avoid another scene with the kitchen manager. "This is his app ticket." The gruff man nodded and made the announcement. As Chuck was heading back out, Sarah stopped him.

"I can trust that you'll take care of him?" Sarah asked.

"Absolutely," he affirmed. "You can count on me."

"I know." They shared a smile and parted ways. Chuck went back out to wait on his other tables before bringing Mr. Montgomery his appetizers. He was extra polite with the man and made sure that all concerns were taken care of right away, all the while giving the same level of care to the other patrons in his station. He didn't want the critic to think that he was receiving special treatment. At the end of the critic's meal, after the bill had been settled, he waved Chuck over one last time.

"Yes, sir?" Chuck asked as he got to the table. "Is there anything else that I can get you?"

"Yes, Charles," Mr. Montgomery said. "I would like to speak to the Chef." Chuck blinked.

"Y-Yes, sir. I'll go get Chef Walker right away."

"Thank you, Charles." Chuck nodded and walked away, straight into the kitchen.

"Chef," he called, getting Sarah's attention immediately. Though she didn't look up from the vegetables she was sautéing, she answered him.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Montgomery would like to speak with you," he told her. She looked up at him and nodded. He waited as she handed the pan to her sous chef, wiped her hands on her waist towel before removing it, and her apron, from around her waist. She also removed her hair net and smoothened her hair. They made eye contact and had a silent conversation that lasted no longer than a second, but had enough depth to fill an ocean. In that one glance, Chuck was able to assure her in the way that she needed most.

She followed Chuck out to his station and to Roan Montgomery's table. "Mr. Montgomery, Head Chef Sarah Walker," Chuck presented. He made eye contact with Sarah again briefly, the same assurance in his eyes, before excusing himself, leaving the two alone.

He couldn't hear their conversation, but Mr. Montgomery seemed to be doing most of the talking, Sarah mostly nodding and smiling. Just as he finished refilling a patron's glass of wine, he looked up to see Mr. Montgomery stand and offer a hand to Sarah. They shook hands and Sarah walked the critic to the door. Once they were out of sight of the table, Chuck went to work clearing the remainder of the table, preparing the place settings for the next patrons.

Chuck hoped that they'd done well, more for Sarah's sake than the actual restaurant. He recalled how distracted she'd been earlier that day when she was told that Roan Montgomery would be doing a review of her restaurant. He didn't know her that well just yet, but he knew that a negative review on her and the restaurant would take a toll on her, considering the success she'd had in Italy. He'd only _really_ spent a total of two or so days with her, but he already knew that he would do anything to keep that beautiful smile on her face. He never wanted to see her hurt or sad. But, he couldn't be there for her right then; they both still had their jobs to do. Shoving it to the back of his thoughts for now, Chuck went back to work.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

At the end of the night, Sarah called a staff meeting to discuss her conversation with Roan Montgomery. They were all seated in the main dining hall and Sarah stood in front of them. "First off," she began. "I want to thank you all for the continuous hard work you've been putting into this restaurant. We wouldn't be as successful as we are now if it weren't for you all. In the time that this restaurant has been opened and probably even before that, we've come to grow together as a family. And I think that that is the best kind of relationship that a restaurant staff should have. And it reflects in our work ethic. Now, as most, if not all, of you know, today we had a Pulitzer prize-winning food critic come to our restaurant today. After he had his dinner, he asked to speak to me." She paused for dramatic effect

"Well, what did he say?" Alex Forrest, the pastry chef, asked, unable to stand the anxiety anymore. Sarah took a breath.

"He said… that the meal was the best he'd ever had," Sarah spilled with a smile. The entire staff cheered.

"But that's not all!" Sarah cut in, ending the celebration as quick as it started. Everyone's attention was back on her, waiting for her next words. "He also said that he was also extremely impressed by the service." She looked directly into Chuck's eyes when she said this. "He told me that it was very rare that a restaurant's service was as excellent as the food. His server was extremely attentive to his needs and very kind and patient with all his demands. He said that at first, he thought the server knew that he was a critic and was giving him special treatment because of it, and therefore watched him interact with the other patrons as sort of a test. He was pleased to see that the server paid as much attention to the other patrons as he did to him. This server impressed him just as much as the food that was served to him." She looked away from Chuck and to the rest of the front-of-house staff. "I hope this comes as a lesson to the front-of-house staff. You are all just as important to this restaurant as the kitchen staff. You are _all_ the face of this establishment and our values. _Ottimo Servizio, Ottimo Cibo._ Great Service, Great Food. That is what we stand for. My name may be what brings the customers into the restaurant, but _you all_ are the reason they come back, tell their friends, help spread our good name. I'm proud to have you all as my staff, as my family, and I hope that you are all proud to be a part of this family as well. Good work tonight everyone. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight." Sarah nodded and walked back toward her office.

The staff in the dining room immediately dispersed. Despite the buzz of excitement and anticipation for the coming review, everyone was ready to go home for the night. Chuck stayed rooted to his seat, a soft smile on his face. As the other staff members passed him, the ones who knew that he was Roan Montgomery's server, patted him on the back and gave him congratulations. Finally, when he was alone in the dining room, he stood, fixed his chair, and made his way to the back to get his things.

As he closed his locker and turned to leave, he was surprised to see Sarah leaning against the threshold to the break room. "Congratulations, Chef, on a good review," Chuck said, smiling at her. Sarah shook her head with a smile of her own.

"I should be saying that to you," she replied softly.

"And why's that?" he asked as he shrugged on his jacket and sipped it up midway.

"Roan Montgomery spent all but five sentences congratulating me on a delicious meal. From there, he spoke to me as the owner of a restaurant, congratulating me on my choice of kind and warmhearted staff," Sarah said.

Chuck shrugged as if it were no big deal. "I told you I'd take good care of him."

"And I told _you_ that I knew you would," Sarah countered. She walked up to him and gave him a hug, which Chuck readily returned. When they pulled back, Sarah stepped away and gave him a smile. "You truly are something else, Chuck Bartowski. Thank you." She turned and walked out, leaving him alone once more.

Chuck smiled to himself again and left the restaurant for home. When he arrived, he found Ellie moving about in the kitchen. "El? What are you doing up at 2am?" he asked as he entered the apartment and dropped his keys into the ceramic bowl by the door.

"I just got home from a 36 hour shift at the hospital, I'm still a little buzzed. I was in the pit," Ellie explained.

"Ouch." Chuck knew all about working in the ER, or what the staff called, 'the pit'. Ellie had told him enough stories from her time there due to her residency rotations. Chuck collapsed onto the couch with a sigh, exhausted from the day he'd had. Ellie rolled her eyes at her brother and the way he haphazardly threw his body on the couch. She couldn't fault him though. She knew how busy the restaurant got and between serving seven different tables and running between the kitchen and his station, and carrying trays of foods and drinks that distance, she knew it was just as taxing.

"Tell me about it." She poured two glasses of water and brought them to the living room, handing one to Chuck. She nudged his leg a little and waited for him to shift to sitting upright before she took a seat next to him. "How was work?" she asked, grateful for the brother/sister time. With their schedules recently, they found those to be scarce. So a 2am chat would have to do.

"It was pretty busy. As always. But today, we had this big food critic come in and he ended up sitting in my station."

"Really? How was that?"

"It was pretty intimidating, but apparently I did such an impressive job that I was especially mentioned to Sarah when he spoke to her at the end of his meal." Ellie gasped.

"Chuck! That's amazing! I'm so proud of you!" she near squealed. She was always proud of Chuck for his achievements and it was always vice versa with him as well.

"Thanks," he chuckled.

"What did Sarah say about that?" she probed.

He shrugged again. "She thanked me. It was nothing special."

"I seriously doubt that," Ellie muttered, apparently just loud enough for Chuck to hear the comment.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"She didn't… give you a little extra thanks?" Chuck gasped scandalously at his sister's implication.

"El! Stop! There's nothing going on between Sarah and me, okay?" he argued. "We're friends. And on top of that, she's my _boss._ A relationship would be totally inappropriate for that reason alone."

"And what does she think about that?"

Chuck blinked. "Nothing! It's probably something that hasn't even crossed her mind." Ellie looked at him with a 'get real' expression on her face.

"Whatever, Chuck." She finished her water and stood. "I'm going to sleep. You can just sit there in your pool of denial." Chuck rolled his eyes at his older sister.

"Goodnight, El," he called after her, sarcasm dripping heavily in his tone.

"Uh, huh! Whatever!" she called back, disappearing around the corner, into the hallway that led to their respective rooms. Chuck shook his head.

He knew that Ellie was just messing with him. She was being a big sister, teasing him about a pretty girl that he was friends with. She'd done it before when he was a teenager and she was in college. In eleventh grade, he really liked this one girl. She was athletic, smart, funny, nice, and _so_ out of his league. But, like every other guy in the school, he had a crush on her.

They'd gotten paired together for an English project and they'd met in Chuck's apartment one day to work on it together. Ellie had walked in on them but said nothing except to offer to make them dinner. Later that night, after Kayla, the girl, had left, Ellie ran up to him and started prodding him and teasing him. He'd blushed so hard, he looked like a tomato.

 _"El, come on," he whined. "Can we please stop talking about this?"_

 _"Only when you admit that you have a crush on her," Ellie pressed._

 _"Yes! Okay? I do. I like her. But please, don't embarrass me," he pleaded. "She's so far out of my league, I don't even have a chance." Ellie pinned him down with a stern glare._

 _"Charles Irving Bartowski, I don't ever want to hear you say that ever again," she said. "You are a wonderful young man and any girl would be lucky to have you. If she doesn't see that, then that's her problem." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You need to be more confident in yourself, Chuck. You can do great things. I know it. But you won't know if you won't try."_

He'd taken Ellie's advice to heart and asked Kayla out. By some miracle, she'd said yes. They went to dinner and a movie and Chuck was so nervous the whole time and that he'd accidently spilled his water all over her lap and maybe(?) groped her as he tried to wipe her lap with his napkin. It was so bad. He'd wanted to bury his head in sand for the next week after that.

Thankfully, they'd already finished and turned in their project so he didn't have to directly face her ever again.

It was probably the worst experience he'd ever had with a woman. Well… Maybe except for Jill. But that was a different story.

He knew that his sister had a good heart and only good intentions when it came to him, but he'd learned to take her advice and teasing with a grain of salt and a lot of discretion. He jumped into that date with Kayla without full confidence in himself and it completely ruined everything. He wasn't going to make the same mistake. Especially not with Sarah – because he did like her. You know, as a friend.

He definitely found her attractive; that was for sure. But he wasn't sure if they'd be anything more than friends, so he decided that he wouldn't make any moves. Maybe he would test the waters if the opportunity presented itself, but no definitive moves on his part. At least, not until he was more positive and secure in where he stood with her.

* * *

Yeah... I know that it's a bit shorter than normal... But that just means I'll make it up to guys later! LOL! 'Til next time! :)

Don't Forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	5. Chuck Versus Smooth Jazz

The next chapter has arrived! I just want to say thank you to all the support I've been getting for this story! I promise I read the review, too. Once I turn in this essay, I will PM a reply to those who have an account. :)

On a sadder note, Chuck has been removed from Netflix. *sigh*

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Chuck. Otherwise, it would still be on Netflix. #BringChuckBack #AndThrowInAMovieWhileWereAtIt

* * *

 **Chuck Versus Smooth Jazz**

Roan Montgomery's review was in the LA Times on Wednesday, a full two days after his visit to _Il Castello_. He had sang nothing but praises for the restaurant. It, of course, was to be expected by the staff, but to read the words and have them set into stone on Los Angeles' leading source in news was a tremendous boost to the staff members and an even bigger win for the business.

Chuck, of course, wasn't mentioned specifically in the article, but by that point, everyone who worked at _Il Castello_ knew that Chuck was the famous 'server' mentioned several times in the article. When the article was posted online, Sarah called Chuck into her office and asked him to post the link to the article on the 'Latest News' page of the website as well as put the quote, 'Truly an establishment of great food, and great service,' on the home page.

"Sure," he said. "It'll be up by opening tonight."

"Thanks, Chuck."

"No problem!" With that, Sarah turned back to her computer.

Chuck walked out of her office with a slight frown. He didn't know if it was just him reading the situation wrong, or if Sarah was peeved about something and didn't want to unleash on him, but he didn't get the usual friendly vibe he got from her. From his perspective, there was nothing Sarah could be mad about. She'd just gotten a huge positive review from a major critic, and even though Chuck was indirectly mentioned multiple times throughout the article, the highlight was still Sarah's cooking. Chuck's mention was just an addition to highlight their slogan, 'Great Service, Great Food.' There was no way she could be angry about that.

Then again, he didn't have the full story. Maybe Sarah was pissed about a personal problem. And, as much as he wanted to talk to her about it, let her know he was there to listen, he knew that it wasn't his place. They weren't _that_ close just yet. All he could do then was do his job and hope that Sarah could solve whatever issue she had on her own, and if not, ask and hopefully not be rejected.

Sarah wasn't like any other woman he'd met. She carried a different air about her when she stepped into a room. It was like the whole room lit up and she had control over everything and everyone, and she knew it. The difference was, any woman who knew that she could get anything she wanted tended to use it. Sarah, on the other hand, didn't. At least, she didn't do it as blatantly as the others did. Hers was a subtler takeover. One that you didn't even see coming until it hit you in the face.

She was definitely a mystery to him. Just yesterday, they were laughing and joking around as though they'd been friends forever, and not five minutes ago, she was treating him as though it were the first time they'd ever interacted. He still had so much to learn about what pushed her buttons. His only hope was that he could figure it out before he pressed the wrong one and she blew up at him.

He uploaded the link and reformatted the home page to include Roan's quote. It took about thirty minutes for him to get the right string of code for the quote to look good and for him to get the link uploaded. It could've taken shorter, but he really wanted to do a good job and he wasn't in any particular rush, seeing as he wasn't opening the front of the house that day. When he was finished, he decided to sit around in his 'office' a little longer before getting ready.

Sarah stared at her computer. She was extremely exhausted. Ever since Casey had told her Roan Montgomery was coming to review the restaurant, she'd been nervous as hell. It was her first official critical review for her restaurant. Following the success she'd had in Italy, Sarah _knew_ that she had to get amazing reviews for _Il Castello_ , not only because it was the restaurant she left _Il Ristorante di Cibo_ for, but also – no, especially – because it was _her_ restaurant. She built it from the ground up. It was her baby. Her dream. If she received a negative review, especially if it was her _first_ review, by someone as big as Roan Montgomery, Sarah didn't know what she would do.

Thankfully, by the end of the night, Roan had nothing but great things to tell her, which assuaged her nervous energy and anxiety just a bit. When she'd returned to her apartment later that night, doubt began whispering into her ears. No critic would say straight to a chef's face that his or her food was terrible. They'd say something nice, then butcher the chef's food in the actual article when they weren't face-to-face. That brought back her anxiety a hundred fold and she couldn't sleep for the next two nights until she read the actual article on Wednesday morning.

Sarah rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palm then massaged her temples with her fingertips. All she wanted to do was go to sleep for the next twelve hours. Make up for the missed hours the last two nights. But she couldn't do that. She had a restaurant to run. Food to cook. She closed her eyes and leaned back in her computer chair. Just as she was about to drift off, there was a knock on her door. Biting back her urge to growl at the intrusion, she settled for a sigh and turned to look at who was standing at her door. It was Chuck. "Did you need something?" she asked. He took a step in and shut the door behind him.

"Uh… Sorry, I didn't know you were…" he apologized. His voice trailed off at the end as he didn't exactly know what she was doing. He shook his head. "I, uh, wanted to let you know that I made the changes on the website. They should be up in about thirty minutes." Sarah nodded.

"Thanks." Chuck stood there awkwardly in front of the door, not saying anything or making any move to indicate that he was leaving. Sarah, frankly, was starting to feel as awkward as Chuck looked. "Did you need something else?"

Chuck blinked. _Screw staying out of it,_ he thought.

"Is everything alright?" he asked. Well, blurted was probably a better term.

"What?"

"Are you okay? You seem… I don't know… Edgy? No. I don't know. You just don't seem like yourself. So, I wanted to know. Are you okay? Is everything alright?" Sarah could tell that he was about to start spiraling but managed to catch himself. For that, she was thankful. She wasn't sure she could handle him talking without breathing before she lost her patience. And yet, his concern and inquiry into her thoughts were refreshing. They were sweet and considerate: just like him. Any other guy would have picked up her mood and guessed that she was on her period or something. Or, they wouldn't have picked up on her mood at all. Chuck played a dangerous game asking her that question, but she had to give him some credit. She smiled at him and nodded.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just a little tired. I haven't been sleeping well."

"No? Why not?" Sarah shrugged.

"The whole critic review thing has had me fried these past two days," she explained. Chuck's reaction was not what she was expecting. She expected a shrug and some sort of reassurance that he knew she would be fine all along. Instead, he started laughing. It made her very confused.

Upon seeing her expression, Chuck began to laugh harder. Sarah huffed and crossed her arms. She did _not_ like being laughed at. "I'm… I'm sorry," Chuck managed to say in between his bouts of laughter. "I… I don't mean… to laugh…" Finally, he calmed down and wiped the tears from his eyes. He took one last breath and looked as Sarah. Then, he got on both of his knees and shuffled so that he was kneeling in front of her. He took both of her hands in his. "Sarah," he said. "I want you to look me in the eye when I tell you this." She humored him and looked into his chocolate eyes. All she could see was pure sincerity. "You are a world class chef. And a kickass boss, if I may add." She chuckled slightly at that. "Your restaurant has been continuously packed since if first opened, _every night_. What doubts could you possibly have about Roan Montgomery's review?" It was a rhetorical question, she knew. And the question did sound ridiculous when she really thought about it. She was never this nervous when getting reviewed back in Italy.

"I guess it was just different this time around," she said.

"How so?" Chuck pressed. Sarah shook her head slightly.

"You wouldn't get it," she told him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah? Try me," he challenged. One look into those eyes and she knew it would be impossible to keep anything from him. The only comfort she found in that revelation was the fact that she also knew that he would never judge her. So, she told him the thoughts that had been haunting her mind and he just kneeled there, listening to every word. When she was finished, he remained silent, no longer looking at her, but rather staring off into space. "I totally get it," he said, his voice soft and faraway, as though remembering a painful memory.

"You do?" Sarah prompted.

"Yeah." He looked back up and her and tightened his grip on her hands. "When I was a kid, I'd always wanted to start my very own video game company," he began. "I devoted my life to it, just like you did with cooking. I got in to Stanford, got my degree in computer engineering and minors in business and hospitality so that I could apply that to starting my own company. Only problem: I didn't have the capital to start it once I graduated. So, I took a job at Roark Instruments and started saving up, coding beta versions of my own games on the side. Everything was going in the right direction. That is, until it wasn't. Roark Instruments collapsed, I still didn't have the start up money, and to top it off, I didn't have a job anymore." He paused. "You get to live your dream. Enjoy it. If I did end up starting my own company, I know I'd be nervous about the reviews and critics for my games. So, yes. I get it. But, you can't let the nerves eat you up like this. It's not healthy. If you know in your heart, you put out a great dish, then there's nothing you should be worried about. You're an amazing chef, Sarah Walker. Don't ever forget that." He gave her a smile and stood, taking her with him. When they were both standing, he hugged her briefly. "Feel better?" he asked.

"Much," she answered, wiping a tear that had slid down her cheek. She didn't even realize that she'd been crying. "Thank you."

"No problem," he said. "You have any problems you want to talk about and need someone to listen, give me a call. Any time of the day. It doesn't matter. Deal?" Sarah nodded.

"Deal." A beat. "I just realized that I don't have your phone number," she chuckled. He joined her.

"Same." They exchanged numbers and Chuck left to get ready for the dinner rush. Sarah took a moment to gather herself and changed into her uniform before exiting her office to the kitchen, ready to face another night.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Her talk with Chuck _really_ boosted her mood for the rest of the day and the week. And, she guessed it really showed considering the air in the kitchen was extremely relaxed despite how busy they were.

Sunday morning, Sarah found herself practically jumping out of bed to get ready for the day. Usually, she slept in a little and then headed down to the restaurant to receive the ingredient shipment and then spend some time cooking just for fun. However, her 'cooking lessons' with Chuck brought on a whole new wave of anticipation for her 'day off'.

Just being around him, Sarah was happier and more relaxed. She didn't worry about putting up her walls and wearing a mask. With him, it was easy for her to just be her: the shy little girl who just liked to cook. She didn't have to be serious all the time (which was super exhausting, by the way), and she was free to joke around and be a dork, and not have to worry about what Chuck would think.

One thing, though, that she did realize, was that she started taking even more care into her appearance on Sunday, if not only to see the reaction on his face. Normally, she'd show up in yoga pants, running shoes, and a t-shirt, seeing as, besides the delivery guy, no one would see her. But lately, she'd started to wear jeans and a blouse, and some comfortable heels. That morning, however, a thought ran through her head.

 _How would Chuck react to seeing me in yoga pants and a T-shirt?_ Sarah thought to herself with a mischievous smirk. Deciding to test her theory, she pulled on her favorite grey and blue yoga pants, the ones that really highlighted her assets down below, her favorite black T-shirt with a picture of the British flag, a motorcycle, and a crown and scepter on it. To finish off the look, she slid on her black and white Nike Free 5.0's. She threw her hair up in a messy bun as a final touch. Make-up-wise, Sarah didn't do much, just a little eyeliner and foundation. She grabbed one of her small cross-body bags and threw her phone, charger, and wallet inside. She kept her keys in her hand. After making sure all the lights in her apartment were off, she locked the door and went down to her car, excited to get to the restaurant.

Chuck showed up at noon, on the dot. Sarah had already been there for two hours prior. In that time, she'd received and sorted all the ingredients that were delivered, pulling out what they would need for the day. It was a very productive morning.

When Chuck walked into the kitchen, Sarah watched as he froze in place, a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face, his jaw practically on the floor. She bit down her strong desire to smirk at his expression. _Guess I was right,_ Sarah thought. "You just gonna stand there?" she asked. "Or are we going to cook?" It took him a while, but Chuck eventually snapped out of his trance and slung his backpack off, setting it in its usual place: on one of the prep stations they didn't use when it was just the two of them.

"Right. What exactly are we cooking today?" he asked, making more eye contact with her than usual. Sarah found his active effort to not stare at her body really cute.

"Well," she said. "I wouldn't exactly call it cooking."

"What?"

"You're making guacamole."

"Gua… Guacamole?" he looked confused.

"Yup." She walked him over to his prep station. "Guacamole doesn't really have a lot of cooking to it, but it does have a lot of knife work," she explained. "I want to work on your knife skills and technique: you know, chopping, slicing, dicing. Things like that. But, I also don't want to waste food. So, guacamole was the way to go." Chuck nodded. He went to the sink and washed his hands. Sarah did the same. They stood side by side at their respective stations. Sarah showed him the proper way to hold the knife and vegetable one more time, giving a few sample slices. Then, she stopped and watched him as he mimicked her movements. That went on for a bit and Sarah noticed that as Chuck got more practice in, he improved incredibly. She smiled at his progress.

Finally, the guacamole was finished. As he worked on his, Sarah turned the tomato and onions she'd chopped as an example into some salsa. Having planned ahead, she went to the store to pick up some tortilla chips and some pre-made queso dip. Normally, she'd make her own queso dip as well, but she was feeling particularly lazy.

She tasted Chuck's guacamole and gave him a thumbs up. "This is great!" she said with a smile. Her words of encouragement seem to catalyze Chuck's own smile.

"So…" he began. "I guess that means it's time for _your_ lesson now, huh?" he asked, a smirk on his face. Sarah rolled her eyes at him, though the smile on her face betrayed any kind of annoyance she was trying to portray.

After cleaning their stations, they grabbed the guacamole, salsa, and queso, as well as two glasses and a bottle of wine, and went into Sarah's office. It was large enough that she could fit a small loveseat and coffee table against one of the walls, and still have enough standing room that it was comfortable. The two of them sat on the couch after putting the food onto the table and immediately, Chuck took out his laptop, starting it up. He also reached into his backpack and pulled out some speakers, plugging them into his laptop.

"Alright," he said, opening up his iTunes. He navigated the lists until his music was separated by genre. Sarah sat beside him, a glass of red wine in her hand, her shoes abandoned on the floor, her feet tucked under her body. Chuck couldn't help but marvel at her beauty. Even in workout clothes that weren't meant to impress anybody, Sarah Walker was an impressive woman. He had to mentally shake himself back to reality before he drifted off. He hoped Sarah didn't notice, or simply thought it was his novice at cooking, but multiple times as he was slicing, he nearly cut himself with how distracted he got from her standing in such close proximity to him. Coming back to the present, Chuck continued. "So, obviously, the first place to start is where twentieth century music began: Jazz. Now, obviously, we won't be able to go through the _entire_ genre of Jazz considering how rich its history is. So, I'll just play some of the more popular Jazz songs. This one's first. It's called, 'Sing Sing Sing.'" he explained pressing play. As the intro played, he went on to tell the history of the song. "Now, this song was first composed by Louis Prima and recorded by him. The more famous version is the instrumental version by Benny Goodman, but this is the original version with the actual lyrics."

Sarah listened to the sound of the music and enjoyed the upbeat feel of it. It reminded her of a lot of the movies she'd watched that took place in the early twentieth century. She guessed that that was because that was golden age for this genre. She simply closed her eyes and enjoyed listening, giving into the feelings she had for each song Chuck played her. She was completely relaxed as "What a Wonderful World" came to an end.

"Ooh!" Chuck said. "You're gonna like this one." He pressed play and leaned back into the couch, watching Sarah's expression. They'd long since finished the food they'd set out at the beginning of the 'music lesson' hours before. Chuck played practically every Jazz song he had in his iTunes library and Sarah seemed to like them all. But, as he played the last song, he just knew that she would like it the best.

 _"_ _Birds flyin' high, you know how I feel._

 _Sun in the sky, you know how I feel._

 _Breeze driftin' on by, you know how I feel._

 _It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me._

 _Yeah, it's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me._

 _Ooooooooooh…_

 _And I'm feeling good."_

When the band kicked in, backing Nina Simone's soulful voice, Sarah smiled and Chuck knew he was right. Sarah loved the song. He could see it in the expression on her face and they way her head nodded in time with the music, her eyes closed and completely relaxed.

At the end of the song, Chuck closed his laptop and began disconnecting the wires. Sarah's eyes opened. "That's it?" she asked.

"Yup."

"That can't be all of it." Chuck chuckled.

"Of course it's not all of it," he said. "But, the songs I played you are the basic gist of it. Besides, those are all the songs I have in my library, so…" he shrugged.

"Oh," Sarah said, her lips pursing in disappointment. It took all of Chuck's willpower not to lean over and kiss her; that's how cute she was.

"Yeah… Sorry." They sat in silence for a little bit before Sarah spoke up.

"I know what kind of band I want to play in the main dining hall."

"Let me guess… A Jazz band?" he smirked. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't get smart with me, mister," she chastised, pointing a finger at him. He held up his hands in surrender.

"Sorry," he apologized. Accepting his apology, she retracted her finger.

"It would have to be instrumental," she said, thinking out loud, "and probably not swing jazz like that first song you played, but more like smooth jazz, like… 'Summertime?' I think it was?" Chuck nodded in agreement. He could imagine the low instrumental melodies of smooth Jazz playing throughout the restaurant.

"That'll be interesting," he said. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. It was definitely different. "An Italian restaurant playing smooth jazz. Are you planning on having this band play every night?"

"Probably not. Maybe on Friday or Saturday night? We could do a live music night once a week," Sarah suggested.

"Yeah. That sounds good," Chuck agreed. Sarah looked at him, a question in her eyes.

"Hey, um, Chuck?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind… helping me find a band that would be willing to play?" she asked shyly. She'd already asked a lot of him and she didn't want him to think that he was a work monkey to her. Her worries, of course, were absolutely baseless as Chuck smiled immediately upon hearing her request.

"Of course I don't mind," he said. "I mean, if I didn't, you'd be completely lost." He said it so innocently that Sarah almost missed the jab at her. _Almost._ The yelp of pain from Chuck as she punched his arm was satisfying. "Hey! That hurt!" he whined.

"Serves you right," Sarah countered. She stuck her nose up in the air, giving off an air of annoyance. That soon dissolved as they broke down into a fit of giggles that evolved into full-on laughter.

"I do have one condition, however," he said once they'd calmed down from laughing. Coming from any other guy, Sarah would have tensed. But knowing Chuck, she knew it would probably be either something really innocent or really stupid.

"What is it?" Sarah asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Have dinner with me." At those four words, Sarah froze. Was she completely wrong about him? Was he really like all the other guys she'd known, only caring about what came after a third date? Then she realized that she was thinking crazy. This was _Chuck._ The man didn't have a bad bone in his body. He would never take advantage of a situation like that. And if that was the case, he really asking her out? Like… On a real date? And, if he was, was she going to say yes? No? Maybe? She had no clue.

All those thoughts and questions were burning through her mind and all she managed to get out was, "What?"

"At Ellie and my place," he elaborated. "Ellie and Awesome are both off next Sunday and Ellie wants to host a dinner, seeing as it's been a while since the last time she has. All of our close friends are invited." Sarah blinked. He considered her a close friend? That made sense, she guessed, seeing as she thought of him as a close friend as well. Without even realizing it, she nodded.

"Sure. I'd love to." A smile grew on Chuck's face at her acceptance to his invitation and it made her smile as well.

"Great! Oh, and you don't have to worry about cooking anything," he said. "Ellie said she's got it covered."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Throughout the week, Chuck had done his research on potential Jazz bands and, with Sarah's approval, scheduled auditions for Friday morning. He showed up early to set up the equipment on a raised platform that didn't have much of a use. He'd always wondered what it was for, but never really spent too much time thinking about it. He'd gotten a couple of amps set up and a soundboard, along with a few mics.

"Wow," Sarah said walking up to him. "That almost looks professional."

"Not by any stretch of the imagination," Chuck countered, standing to his full height and hopping down from the makeshift stage. "This is just some equipment I borrowed from some old friends of mine. When we hire a band, we're gonna have to buy new equipment. But, for now, these should suffice." They sat at one of the tables as the three bands that Chuck had shortlisted arrived one by one.

The two interviewed each of the bandleaders about their style of music and availabilities before listening to them play a short piece. Chuck and Sarah had decided earlier on in the week that they would do Saturday night as the live music night. The band would play three two-hour sets throughout the night with an hour break in between.

After listening to each of the bands perform, Chuck and Sarah thanked the bands for their time and sent them on their way. That left the two of them to compare their notes.

"So, what did you think?" Chuck asked once they all went over the pros and cons of the bands. "Any of them stand out?"

"I guess," Sarah replied noncommittally with a shrug. "They were all good, you know. If I had to pick just one, I would probably the second band, The Fornax Group, they were really good."

"Yeah," Chuck agreed. "They do both vocal and instrumental performances. And, I know that you wanted an instrumental group, but some vocal performances would be a fresh twist in their sets. Give them a little more variety. You know?" Sarah nodded in agreement.

"So we're in agreement?" she asked.

Chuck smiled. "Looks like it."

* * *

I know... Another shorter one. But there's one that's super long! I promise. It's coming. Maybe in the next few chapters.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	6. Chuck Versus the Dinner Party

Why hello there my wonderful readers. I hope you enjoy this chapter. We all could use some good and happy in our lives right about now.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Chuck. I wish I did though, so I could put it back on Netflix. But, such is life... #BringChuckBack #AndThrowInAMovieWhileWereAtIt

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the Dinner Party**

Chuck was freaking out. Sarah had ended their cooking/music session early so that she could go get ready for dinner that night at his place. He was currently in his room, trying to find something to wear. He'd been in there for hours and his indecision on an outfit was driving him mad.

He woke up that morning, excited to spend some time with Sarah alone before they headed over to his place for dinner. He showed up to the restaurant at noon, as always, and saw that Sarah was already there, as always. They started the lesson for the day: sautéing. Chuck practiced his slicing and dicing skills on the vegetables he had to sauté; Sarah didn't give him an example for that, seeing as he'd done okay the week before. It didn't take long before their lunch, sautéed vegetables and rice, was ready to eat. Sarah made the rice since he was busy trying not to lose suicidal vegetable pieces to the stove flame.

"You know," he said as he took a bite. "I'm more of a meat guy myself." Sarah chuckled at the quip.

"Well, you haven't really graduated on to learning about meats just yet," she said. She took a bite of the food. "Maybe I'll have you make more vegetable dishes just because I like them so much." Chuck's jaw dropped at that.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked, actually a little nervous. Her shrug as she took another bite did not do anything to ease his conscience. But, being him, he wasn't going to let her win in the matters of _eating_ food. So, he played it off nonchalantly. "Whatever. I guess. I'll just ask Ellie to make me some meat dishes to appease the growing boy in me." Sarah laughed at that, which brought a smile to Chuck's face, as it normally did.

"Speaking of Ellie's cooking," she said. "Are you sure I don't have to bring anything to dinner? I wouldn't want to be rude."

Chuck shook his head. "Ellie said she'd got it covered. Something about wanting you to not have to worry about cooking for other people and enjoying a meal… I don't know." He shrugged. "I personally think she just wants you to try her food, which is pretty amazing if you ask me."

"I'm sure she's a great cook," Sarah said. "But you're absolutely sure?"

"Absolutely," he nodded slowly for emphasis. "You just need to bring your pretty little self." He spooned another bite of his lunch into his mouth and froze mid-bite at what he'd just said. Well, he couldn't exactly take that back. Sometimes, he hated the fact that his brain-to-mouth filter stopped working at the worst possible times. Thankfully, Sarah didn't comment on it.

"So what time do I need to be over there?" she asked instead.

"Dinner starts at six so anytime before that," he said. Sarah looked at her watch. It was a little before three.

"Well, then I guess I have to get home so I can get ready," she said standing up, taking her plate to the sink. Chuck blinked.

"What? Already?"

"Yup. It takes work to be _this pretty_." Chuck turned visibly red at her comment.

 _I doubt that,_ he thought in spite of his embarrassment. Sarah simply laughed, probably at the fact that his face looked like a stoplight. Eventually, they stood and went to work cleaning the kitchen before going off on their separate ways.

On his way home, Ellie asked him to drop by the store to pick up some groceries, which he did. Then, with his new, yet limited, cooking skills, Ellie acquiesced to let him help out for a little with the prep. All he did was chop up more vegetables. He was proud to say that Ellie was impressed at his ease in chopping vegetables without cutting his finger off or going one slice a minute.

When he was no longer needed in the kitchen, and with Devon setting the table and cleaning the living room, he went to take a shower. So there he was. In his room, clad only in his underwear, staring at the chaos that was his closet. "What the hell am I gonna wear?" he muttered.

"Ay, yo, Chuck!" he heard from out his window. He peeked out to see his best friend, Morgan Grimes, walking across the courtyard to him.

"Hey, Buddy," Chuck greeted.

"Dude, why are you still in your undies?" Morgan asked. "You do know dinner is supposed to start in forty-five minutes right?" Chuck rolled his eyes.

"You're not even invited. Why are you here?" Chuck laughed. Morgan may have been Chuck's best friend, but the little bearded man was also the bane of Ellie's existence.

Morgan hopped the windowsill into his room, undeterred. "I'm here to plead my case to Ellie." He sniffed the air. "Ooh… Roast Beef! I'm definitely staying." Morgan made his way through Chuck's room toward the door that led to the hallway.

"Good luck with that, Buddy." Chuck counted on his fingers.

 _Three._

 _Two._

 _One._

On one, Chuck pointed at the door just as it reopened, revealing his sister. He wasn't sure because of the distance, but he thought he could see Ellie's left eye twitch. "What is _he_ doing here?" she asked, doing her absolute best to stay calm. Chuck shrugged.

"Did you honestly expect him to _not_ show up?" he quipped. Okay, _now_ her left eye was _really_ twitching. Chuck chuckled sheepishly with an equally sheepish shrug. "Listen, El, I still have to decide what to wear and Sarah will be here any minute." Ellie calmed down at that, only slightly though. She took two steps into his room so she could see his closet more clearly.

"The green striped one. Brown undershirt," she said, then turned on her heels and left the room. Blowing out a breath, Chuck turned back toward his closet and changed his clothes, hanging up the ones that found themselves on the floor. Looking into the full-length mirror to assess his appearance, he smoothed out his hair.

 _God, I need a haircut,_ he winced. His hair had gotten pretty long. Ellie liked to say that it made funny animal shapes when it was that long. _Oh, well. Too late to do anything now._ Sighing at his reflection once more, he walked out of his room and into the living room just in time to see Ellie opening the door.

"Sarah!" she greeted. The two women hugged. Chuck immediately noticed the dish in Sarah's hands.

"I hope you don't mind, I made some dessert," she said. "I felt weird not bringing anything." Ellie took it from her.

"That's so sweet of you," his sister smiled. "And, you just may be a life saver. I totally blanked on dessert. Come in!" Ellie stepped aside and allowed Sarah to walk into the apartment, closing the door behind her. Sarah locked eyes with him for a second and they shared a smile. "Chuck! Grab Sarah a glass, would you?" That seemed to snap Chuck back to reality.

"Right! Wine!" He exclaimed. "Sarah? Red? White? What can I get you?"

"Umm… Some red would be fine, thanks." He smiled and bounded off to the kitchen to get her glass. Sarah took the time alone to take a glance around the apartment. It was definitely clean, and organized. There weren't many pictures, she noticed. Only a few with mainly Ellie and Chuck; there were more, but not by many, with Ellie and Devon, and a couple of all three of them together.

She'd gravitated to one particular picture of Chuck, the smile creeping on her face without her realizing it. It was a younger version of the man she knew. He was wearing a black cap and gown, a red Stanford stole and quite the number of honors cords. He had a smile of pure joy as he held the little scroll that represented his diploma and bouquet of balloons that had pictures of computers and the words 'CONGRATS GRAD!' on them. There were times when he'd get that smile on his face when they were together and Sarah couldn't help but think that the man in the picture and the man that she knew were the exact same people, albeit the Chuck she knew was definitely older and probably more mature, but nevertheless, she could tell that they were the same person.

"That was the proudest day of my life," a voice said behind her. Sarah blinked. That didn't register as Chuck's voice. Nor was it Ellie's. She turned, and all she saw was the top of someone's head. She looked down.

In front of her stood a man with long-ish hair and a beard. He was wearing a green polo with the words 'Buy More' monogrammed on the front, khakis, and sneakers. The first word that registered in her mind was _Morgan._ But the first thing that came out of her mouth was, "What?"

He pointed at the picture as though it were obvious what he was talking about. "Chuck's graduation," he said with a smile. "I remember that day like it was yesterday. My boy, Chuck, had finally done it. He graduated college and was off to do the great things he was meant to do." Sarah nodded slowly, not quite understanding how it was _Morgan's_ proudest day.

"Um…"

"I'm sorry, where are my manners," he shook his head. "We haven't properly met, yet. I'm Morgan Grimes, Chuck's best friend and hetero-life partner." He held out a hand. She held back a laugh as he took it. Chuck was right: Morgan really was quite the character.

"Ahh… Right, Chuck has told me about you," she said. The shorter man raised both eyebrows.

"Is that so? Well, then I guess he thinks you're gonna stick around for a while." Sarah blinked again. Just as she was about to ask him what he meant, Chuck showed up.

"Hey!" he yelled, a little jumpy. "I, uh, your wine!" He handed the glass to Sarah, who took it gratefully, taking a sip. "Hey, Buddy. Why don't you go and grab an extra chair from my room for the table? It looks like we're short one."

"No problem, Dude! I'm on it." Morgan walked away leaving the two alone. Sarah was doing her best to suppress a smile and she was failing miserably.

"Sorry… about him. I promise he's potty trained," Chuck quipped. That sent Sarah over the edge as she laughed. That seemed to take away some of the tension in Chuck's posture. A smile formed on his lips. "I hope he didn't do too much damage. I won't have to pay for any therapy sessions or anything? Look for a new job?" Sarah shook her head as she giggled a little.

"No," she said. "You're good. But, you were right. He is very interesting."

"I'm just glad he hasn't rolled out a red carpet and started kissing the ground you walk on. He's kind of a huge fan."

"Oh, really?"

"Oh yeah," Chuck nodded, leading her toward the couches. They took a seat. "He's been taking some cooking classes to train to become a hibachi chef. It's his life's dream." Sarah laughed again. "Yeah… One day, he was looking through one of Ellie's cooking magazines and saw your picture. I think you'd just received your third Michelin star and they'd written an article on it. His first thought was, 'Vicky Vale is a three star chef?!'"

At Sarah's amused, yet confused look, Chuck elaborated. "It's from Batman."

"Oh. Because that makes it better." They shared another laugh.

"But yeah, he's been a fan ever since." Sarah smiled. Chuck was about to change the subject, when the doorbell rang. He stood up to get it, Sarah stood up as well, placing her glass on the coffee table, wanting to see who else was invited to dinner. She was shocked, to say the least, to see John Casey standing in the doorway, holding what looked to be a tray of... mini quiches? He, apparently had the same thought, as his eyes widened comically.

"Walker?" he asked.

"Hey, John, Kathleen," she greeted.

"Sarah! You're here!" the older woman said, walking up to her and pulling her into a hug.

When they pulled away, Sarah asked, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Ellie invited us. We took the apartment just across the courtyard when we moved to Los Angeles."

"I didn't know that," Sarah admitted.

"Oh, well, now you do." The two women laughed. Casey was already in the kitchen with Devon, grabbing a beer. "Oh, you remember our daughter, Alex, right?" Kathleen asked, turning to let Sarah see the young woman. Sarah eyes lit up.

"Of course I do!"

"Hey, Sarah," Alex greeted. Chuck blinked.

"You guys know each other, too?" he asked. Sarah nodded.

"Back in New York, I told you I worked with Casey one summer at a restaurant. Well, over the school year, I would babysit Alex."

"I'm only four years younger than you, Sarah. I would hardly call it babysitting."

"You were twelve, I was sixteen. At the time, it was babysitting." Sarah laughed. "But now look at you! Graduating college, right?"

"Yup. Forensics." Sarah was impressed. She knew that the girl always had an affinity for solving mysteries. All of those Sherlock Holmes stories and mystery shows. The girl also really loved science. Forensics was the perfect field for Alex Casey.

"Nice!"

"Hey guys!" Ellie called, interrupting the individual conversations. "Dinner's ready!"

Everyone gathered at the table, taking their seats. Chuck and Ellie sat at the ends, Sarah to Chuck's left, Morgan to his right. Casey sat between Morgan and Devon on one side, Alex between Sarah and Kathleen on the other. Chuck took his glass and stood. "Uh… Before we begin, I'd like to make a toast." Everyone turned their attention to him. "First off, I just want to say, thank you all for coming. Not long ago, these dinners were literally Ellie, Captain, and I. Sometimes Morgan when Ellie let him eat with us." Everyone chuckled at that. But now, looking at this table and how full it has gotten, I realize that my family has grown before my eyes and I didn't even realize it. El, I think we need a bigger table." More laughter. "But seriously, a toast to Ellie for what I'm sure is gonna be a great meal, to Casey and his family for those delicious looking quiches over there, to Sarah for… What is that? A chocolate soufflé? Show off." Sarah smacked the arm hanging by his side with a smirk. "To Captain Awesome… for the awesome set up."

"What about me, Chuck?" Morgan asked.

"For what?" Ellie shot.

"And to Morgan, for his great comic timing," Chuck salvaged.

"Alright… Um… Let's eat?" At that, everyone dug in, enjoying the amazing roast beef that Ellie had prepared.

"Oh, my gosh, Ellie," Sarah said after swallowing another bite. The beef was so tender that it was practically melting in her mouth. "This is so good." Ellie smiled at the compliment. Everyone either moaned or grunted their agreement, as they were all too busy stuffing their mouths.

"Thank you, Sarah."

Dinner continued on, without much event. Everyone made small talk with one another. Then, Devon cut through the noise. "So, Sarah, let's kick this up a notch, personal style, tell us about yourself," he said. Morgan scoffed.

"Please, is there anything we don't already know about Sarah? I mean all Chuck ever does is talk about her– OW!" Chuck had kicked Morgan in the shin to shut him up. His face was rapidly turning red at embarrassment.

"Uh…" Sarah continued, trying to ignore the silent, but not so subtle argument transpiring between the two friends. "Well, I just moved here from Italy several months ago. You all know that I own _Il Castello_. Before Italy though, I lived in Napa for a bit while I got a degree at the CIA campus there. Before that, I graduated from the CIA in New York."

"Did you always see yourself as a chef and owner?" Devon asked.

"Uh… Yeah. It's been a dream of mine since I was little," she said, a little uncomfortable at sharing things about herself with other people as though she were giving a presentation. Luckily, Ellie came to the rescue.

"John," she said, taking the attention off of Sarah. "Don't you work with Sarah and Chuck at the restaurant, too?"

Casey swallowed the bite in his mouth. "Uhh… Yeah. I'm the kitchen manager there."

"Awesome!" Devon said. The conversation from there diverted again, everyone breaking off into their own discussions for the rest of dinner.

By the time the chocolate soufflé went around, everyone had just enough room to spare, but after one bite, everyone kept eating until the large ramekin was emptied and scraped clean. "Oh, my goodness, Sarah," Ellie said, rubbing her stomach. "You have to teach me how to make that." Sarah chuckled.

"Sure. I'll send Chuck home with the recipe." Ellie stood to start clearing the table, Devon stood with her.

"Chuck, you better not lose it," she warned, heading off into the kitchen. Chuck flopped his hands into the air like, 'I give up.' He shot Sarah a look before standing up to help clear the table as well.

"Ellie, Devon," Casey said. "Thanks for dinner, but we're gonna head out now."

"That's fine! Thanks for coming, you guys!" Ellie said as she walked them to the door. Once the Casey's were gone, Morgan started grabbing the little leftovers there were and piling them onto his plate.

"Well, dinner was great…" he said. "I'm just gonna go make myself a little doggie bag, and head out my Morgan Door." Chuck rolled his eyes, as he returned to the table.

"Bye, Buddy! Love you!"

"Love you, too, Chuck!" Sarah smiled at the way Chuck interacted with Morgan. It was really sweet. She thought about that saying she'd heard a long time ago: 'Show me your friends and I'll tell you who you are.' That definitely applied to Chuck. All of his friends and family were extensions of who he was. They were all kind, generous, funny, and just overall warmhearted people.

"So… The 'Morgan Door'?" she asked as they moved to the couch.

"The window in my bedroom," Chuck explained. "Ellie doesn't really let Morgan in when he tries to come through the regular door, so he comes in through my window." Sarah raised a brow at that.

"That must be awkward sometimes."

"A little. Though, I do lock it and pull the blinds when I prefer he not come in."

"I see."

"Yeah… So… You skipped your music lesson today…" he said.

"So I did."

"Well, that needs to be fixed."

"And how do you suppose we do that?"

"Easy." Chuck reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny remote. "Tonight's lesson: Soul Music." He pressed play and the sound of Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" played on the speaker.

Ellie watched as her brother and Sarah sat together on the couch. Actually, she'd been secretly watching the two of them the whole night. Those two were falling for each other. Fast. She already knew it. She could see it in the way they looked at one another. They were just too oblivious and dense to realize it and probably even more unwilling to admit it. She just hoped that they could get their heads screwed on straight so they could see what was right in front of them. Shaking her head, she finished cleaning up in the kitchen and left for her room, not wanting to interrupt the moment they seemed to be having, she didn't bother to let them know she was going to bed.

Chuck enjoyed watching Sarah during "My Girl." When he heard that song, it reminded him of her. Whenever he saw her, his mood always picked up, without exception. No matter how crappy his day had been or how chaotic the dinner service was, whenever he saw her when he opened or at the end of the night, he always got this second wind that boosted his mood and made him want to smile.

Sarah loved the music Chuck played. It was so rich and Sarah felt herself swaying to the music. She especially loved the Aretha Franklin songs that they'd listened to. Her eyes closed and she smiled as Chuck played "My Girl" by The Temptations. She leaned her head on the back of the couch and relaxed. Chuck had told her that this song was a classic and that he tended to get this song stuck in his head all the time. Funny thing was, she could actually imagine that. The song definitely held meaning for her. That and the very first song Chuck had played, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". Both described, perfectly, how Chuck made her feel. He could make her smile and laugh without really trying, brightening her mood whenever she saw him. And, she never felt like she had to try too hard to impress him.

Chuck checked the time on his watch as the last song on his soul playlist came to an end and saw that it was past midnight. _Definitely too late for Sarah to drive home alone._ Not like she looked like she could go anywhere, seeing as she'd fallen asleep. Plus, he'd been counting throughout the night and chef or no, four glasses of wine and a beer was probably too much for someone to drink right before driving home. Shutting off the speakers, Chuck stood and gathered Sarah in his arms. She was slightly heavier than he'd expected, though it was still a comfortable weight. As fit as she was, he figured that all the weight must have been muscle. _Of course she worked out_ , he thought. Meanwhile, Chuck never even ran a day in his life, much less lifted weights. He gave her a moment to settle in his arms, which she did, turning her body slightly toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Chuck smiled at the sight of her in his arms and walked her over to his room. He settled her into his bed and tucked her in. Sarah started tossing around, mumbling, "hot," before she managed to kick off her jeans and remove her blouse. Chuck's eyes went wide at the sight of her in only her underwear and immediately looked away out of respect. He went over to his closet and dug around until he found one of his old Stanford shirts. Doing his best to keep his eyes averted from Sarah's near naked form and hands from touching inappropriate places, he put the shirt on her and replaced the blanket over her waist. He grabbed her clothes and folded them nicely, placing them on his computer chair. He went back into his closet and changed into his pajamas and went to brush his teeth.

When he was ready for bed, he went to the linen closet and grabbed an extra pillow and blanket and settled into the living room couch for the night.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Ellie finished getting ready for work, clad in her light blue scrubs, which signified her residency status at the hospital, and went into the kitchen to get some breakfast. Devon had already left for the hospital for an early morning procedure. As she prepared a bowl of cereal and toast, she noticed a foot hanging off of the armrest on the couch. "Chuck?" she called, heading over. Sure enough, her younger brother was there, asleep. She prodded him. "Chuck, wake up," she said, leaning over him. He stirred until his eyes fluttered open.

"Ellie?" he slurred, still half asleep.

"Yeah. Who else would it be? What are you doing on the couch?" That seemed to wake Chuck up.

"Uh…" He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Sarah spent the night in my room," he explained.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"It was really late and she fell asleep while we were listening to music so I brought her to my room and let her sleep there. I took the couch."

"Oh." She stood up straight. "Alright." She went back to the kitchen. "Do you want some breakfast?"

"Uh… I'll get some later." Ellie nodded distractedly. Chuck had followed her into the kitchen.

"El?"

"Chuck, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Will you give me an honest answer?"

"Uh… yeah…" He looked confused, crossing his arms over his chest and tucking his hands between his arms and torso. "What's up?"

"Do you like Sarah?"

"What kind of question is that?" he asked. "Of course I like Sarah. She's a friend."

"No, Chuck. Do you _like_ her?"

"Ellie, haven't we had this discussion before?" Chuck tried to divert. Ellie wasn't having it. She shot him a pointed look. "Okay, fine. Yes. I like her. As more than a friend. She's different from the other girls I've been with." Ellie was buzzing with joy at her brother's admission. "Stop with the bouncing, Sis," Chuck placated, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders. "It's hardly likely anything will come out of it, though." Ellie frowned. "I'm not sure if she feels the same. Besides, she's my boss. How would that look to the other employees?"

"Chuck, that shouldn't matter!"

"But it does. If I'm gonna ask her out, I want to make sure she's completely comfortable with it and that what our co-workers think won't change anything. Until I'm sure of that, Sarah and I are just friends and I'm completely fine with that."

Sarah woke up the next morning and panicked at the unfamiliar surroundings and the fact that she was in a shirt that wasn't hers. Then, the memories of the night before flooded through her mind. She'd fallen asleep in Chuck's living room while they were listening to music. He must've let her stay in his room for the night, and being the gentleman that he was, probably stayed on the couch last night. That definitely explained where she was, but it didn't explain what she was wearing. _It must be one of Chuck's shirts_ , she thought off-handedly. She opened the door leading to the hallway, following the sound of voices.

She' couldn't really make out what he was saying until she got closer. "…Sarah and I are just friends and I'm completely fine with that," she heard him say. She wasn't sure why, but the thought that Chuck didn't like her as more than a friend hurt. She thought that they were getting closer and that maybe a relationship would form soon. But if he didn't like her like that… She shook her head. She refused to think about it. It was then she decided to make her presence known.

"Good morning," she said softly. Both Bartowski siblings turned to face her. She was suddenly aware at how underdressed she was. Ellie greeted her a good morning and engaged in polite small talk before she excused herself from the room, stating that she needed to get to work.

"Did you sleep well?" Chuck asked when they were alone.

"Uh… Yeah. Thanks. I'm sorry I fell asleep last night," Sarah apologized.

Chuck shook his head. "You're fine. It was really late and Ellie would have killed me if I let you go home that late with how much you've had to drink."

"Four glasses and a beer isn't a lot," Sarah said. She was able to handle way more before getting tipsy. She didn't study Wine and Beverage at the CIA without building a really good tolerance.

"Maybe, but I wasn't taking any chances." Chuck had her confused. He said the sweetest things to her and made her feel like she was the only woman in the world, besides his sister, that he really truly cared about, that was special to him. But then what he'd said to Ellie, that he was good with them just being friends, made her question his actions.

"Ah… Thanks again."

Chuck smiled. "It's no problem."

"Chuck?"

"Yeah?"

"Just wanted to ask… What happened to my clothes?" she questioned.

"Oh! When I put you on the bed, you started complaining that it was hot and took off your clothes." His eyes widened at the logical implication. "I looked away, of course!" he added. "Right when I realized what you were doing. So… no need to worry about that. But, I wasn't sure how you'd take to waking up in my bed in only your underwear so I found an old shirt for you to borrow. I folded your clothes and put them on my computer chair." Sarah nodded in understanding.

"Thanks." A beat. "Again, I guess." They both chuckled before another silence settled on them. "I'm gonna…"

"Right! Yeah… You go… Do that…" Sarah ducked out of the kitchen and back into Chuck's room while Chuck stayed, reaching for the cereal, milk, and a bowl, chastising himself for how much of an idiot he was. _Way to make her feel super awkward and uncomfortable, moron,_ he winced. Despite that, however, his only hope was that she hadn't heard what he and Ellie were talking about before she showed up. How much more awkward and uncomfortable would she be if she knew he liked her as more than a friend when she didn't return the same feelings. What if she stopped giving him lessons and stopped wanting music lessons because of it? He took a deep breath to calm himself before he spiraled too far. She probably hadn't heard anything anyway. It wasn't like she was a spy or anything like that. He was pretty certain that he could sense her presence or hear her were she to walk into a room.

Sufficiently calm, Chuck went to work preparing him and Sarah some breakfast. By the time Sarah re-emerged from his room, she was still wearing his shirt, but rather than just wearing her underwear, she'd opted for her jeans, which Chuck was very thankful for.

"Hey, I hope you don't mind if I take your shirt…" she said. "I didn't want to wear my shirt from last night."

"No problem! Don't even worry about returning it. Keep it. I don't really wear it anymore. Besides, I've got plenty of Stanford shirts." They shared a smile. "Hey! I made some breakfast!" he said.

"You cooked breakfast?" she asked wryly with raised brows and a smirk. It seemed that the awkwardness from five minutes before had dissipated now that Sarah was dressed.

"Now… Did I say I _cooked?_ No. I said I _made_ breakfast," he responded matter-of-factly.

"Alright, smart guy, what did you _make_?" She sat herself on a stool at the counter. Chuck placed a bowl of Fruit Loops and a spoon in front of her and poured some milk into the bowl for her.

"Voila! Cereal a la Chuck." They both laughed before eating the food Chuck had prepared.

Sarah marveled at the man in front of her. She's lost count of how many times she'd actually done this. But she was always learning something new about him. She'd felt really uncomfortable and confused when she first came out of Chuck's bedroom, between what she'd overheard him say to his sister about her and the embarrassment that she'd felt about having to spend the night in the first place. However, after dressing in Chuck's room, deciding that she wanted to keep his shirt since it was really comfortable and smelled of him. She, of course, wasn't going to tell him that. She'd come up with some other excuse to keep his shirt.

When she came out, Chuck gave her the shirt without question; she didn't even have to use the elaborate excuse she'd come up with. He then proceeded to ease her nerves, diffusing the tension from earlier. Preferring the air between her and Chuck to be easy and natural, she played along with him and joked with him until they were once again comfortable.

Soon, Sarah announced that she had to get back to her apartment in order to properly get ready for the day. Chuck walked her to her car. They wouldn't see each other that night, seeing as Chuck had the day off. Sarah, unfortunately, being the head chef and owner did not have that luxury. It was one of the reasons she closed the restaurant on Sundays. Some people had started a rumor that it was because Sarah was religious and wanted to have Sundays off so she could relax and take the time to go to church. She didn't bother correcting them.

Sarah wasn't all that religious. Sure she had her faith. She grew up Catholic, having Polish family roots, but she wasn't really one for going to Mass. She thought about it, sometimes, and went during the Holy days of obligation, but religion was never a big thing with her. All that mattered to her was that she had her faith and that she believed in it. She didn't think that she had to go to Mass every week to prove that.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," Chuck said as he held her car door open.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Chuck." She gave him a small smile and got into her car, starting it. He closed the door and waved her off as she backed out and pulled into the street.

He walked back toward his apartment where he ran into Casey, who was picking up his morning paper, in the courtyard. "Bartowski!" he called, getting Chuck's attention.

"Hey, Big Guy!" Chuck greeted. Casey narrowed his eyes.

"You're very chipper this morning," he noted.

"It's my day off," Chuck shrugged.

"And yet you're up at eight in the morning." Casey raised an eyebrow at that.

"Whatever, Casey." Chuck turned around and continued to his apartment. Not wanting to let Chuck get the last word in, and a little to just mess with the kid, Casey called out.

"Was that Walker I saw you walk out earlier?" Casey questioned, no doubt with a smirk on his face, as Chuck sped up toward his apartment, disappearing behind the door. Casey shook his head as he imagined the look on the kid's face.

He knew that the two of them weren't together, but he knew they were close. After seeing how they interacted the night before, he could tell that they both cared a great deal about each other but that nothing had transpired between them romantically just yet. He was actually secretly rooting for them, though he'd never tell them that; he would tease them about it, though. But, he had to admit: they were good together. And, having known Walker since she was a teen, he knew she needed some good in her life, someone she could count on for anything.

 _You picked a good one, Walker_ , he thought to himself as he disappeared back into his apartment.

* * *

And there you have it! I always knew that Casey secretly shipped Charah.

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Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	7. Chuck Versus the Seductress

So I just realized that I'm catching up to where I'm currently writing... So if at any point the updates come slower. It's probably because I'm still writing it. :)

 **Disclaimer:** Still don't own Chuck. And I probably never will. *sigh*

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the Seductress**

Chuck showed up to work on Thursday, a week after Ellie's dinner, and went straight to Sarah's office to say, 'Hi', as had become his daily routine. He knocked on the closed door and pushed it open without waiting for a reply. He usually did, seeing as Sarah was usually too busy staring at her computer to notice. Not this time. Chuck froze in the doorway, one hand still holding the knob.

Sarah wasn't alone in her office. There was a redhead there as well. Beautiful, tall, lean. She looked like she could be a Swedish model or something. Both women turned from their conversation and faced him. Not knowing what else to do, Chuck blinked dumbly. "Uhh… Sorry to interrupt," he said. "Just wanted to check in to see if you needed me for any IT stuff before I started my shift." Sarah smiled at him, but made no move to stand.

"Not at the moment, Chuck," she said. "Thank you." Chuck nodded.

"Alright… Just… Let me know." With that, he closed the door leaving the two girls alone once more.

"Who was that?" the redhead asked Sarah. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Don't even think about it, Carina," she said. Carina Miller was her best friend. They'd met at the CIA and became close. Carina, however, received her Associate degree in Baking and Pastry Arts and her Bachelor's in Baking and Pastry Arts Management. It was one of the reasons the two got along so well; they weren't in a constant competition.

"I wasn't thinking about anything, Walker!" Carina defended, innocence in her voice. Sarah, however, was trained in spotting Carina's bullshit from a mile away.

"Sure you weren't."

"Well, he is kinda cute-ish… In a geeky sort of way." Sarah laughed.

"Don't let him hear you say that. He prefers 'Nerd'." Carina raised a suggestive eyebrow at that.

"And you would know," she said. Sarah, picking up on where Carina's mind was going, nipped that train of thought right in the bud. She didn't want Carina getting any ideas and meddling in her love life – or lack thereof.

"What? No! Not like that!" she protested. "Chuck and I are friends. And besides, he works for me." Sarah honestly didn't care about that second bit, but it was a good enough excuse to give Carina.

"Like you ever cared about dating co-workers," Carina rolled her eyes. "Lest I remind you of the real reason you left Italy?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sarah said. "I left Italy because I wanted to start my own restaurant. You know that that's always been the goal."

"Right… And what's his face, Bruce, was it? You and him just happened to end things not a month before." Sarah rolled her eyes.

"That's not his name," she said.

"Like it matters! Unless… It does and you haven't moved on yet…" Carina tried.

"Please, I haven't thought of that jerk since I moved to Los Angeles," Sarah scoffed at her friend's insinuation.

"Then there you go. Now, back to the point. It didn't stop you before, what's stopping you now?" Sarah winced. She was sure that the small side tangent that they'd gone on would distract and divert Carina from what she was going to say about her and Chuck.

"Chuck and I are friends. That's it. And, it's different because this time, he's on my payroll. I give him a paycheck every other Thursday."

"Whatever you say, Walker," Carina said, not buying it. She stood and headed for the door. "But, if you're not going to do anything about tall, cute, and nerdy over there, I will." With that, Carina left Sarah alone in her office.

"Dammit." Sarah cursed. She should have figured Carina would try something like this. She stood up, moving to chase down the redhead. Sarah made it as far as the kitchen before one of the chefs stopped her.

"Uh… Chef? We have a question…" With a hesitant look at the doors that led to the front of the house, Sarah sighed and went to the chefs that called for her assistance, hoping that Chuck would be able to fend off Carina's not-so-subtle come-ons.

Chuck was setting places at the tables in the main dining hall. He'd already changed into his server outfit. "So… You're a computer guy _and_ a waiter?" a voice said from behind him. Chuck, startled, spun around and was face to face with the redhead from Sarah's office.

"Uhh…" he replied, not sure how to respond to that.

"We haven't been officially introduced," she continued on, unfazed by his apparent lack of communication skills. "I'm Carina Miller."

"N-Nice to meet you, Carina," he managed to say. The woman was tantalizingly close. She looked at him expectantly. "Oh! Right! My name… Hi, I'm Chuck. Chuck Bartowski." She smiled as though he'd just told her all of his dirty secrets and she was going to use every single one of them to get him to do what he wanted.

"Nice to meet you… Chuck," she said seductively, smoothening out an imaginary wrinkly on his server vest. Chuck gulped. This woman, though beautiful and really, really hot, was extremely intimidating and maybe even a little scary. He reached a hand behind him to steady his stance, but missed the chair and stumbled away from the seductress. He was both thankful and embarrassed as he straightened himself out. Thankful that he managed to get breathing room and embarrassed because, obviously, he just acted like a total klutz in front of a really gorgeous woman. Carina simply kept her seductive smile on her lips, but made no moves closer to him.

"So… What, uh, W-What brings you here?" he asked. Carina shrugged.

"Just visiting a friend," she answered in that same seductive tone.

"Great! Um… Well, I better get back to work… These tables won't set themselves," he chuckled nervously, wanting nothing more than to get away from Carina just so that he could breathe easily.

"I'll let you get to it, then," she said walking up to him once more. She adjusted some stray curls on his forehead and leaned in close. "I'll be in touch." Chuck's eyes went wide as she squeezed his left butt cheek and sauntered away. Once she was out of sight, Chuck let out a breath and took a moment to return his heartbeat back to normal before getting back to work.

 _What was that all about_? he wondered. The woman was practically all over him, though he didn't know why. It was all very confusing. And intimidating. He could tell that Carina could easily have any guy she wanted, just by giving them a smile. So, why in the world would she choose someone like him? Chuck had met many a women who had the same confidence as Carina, but their attention was never pointed toward him. It was usually the really buff guy who happened to be sitting next to him at the bar who got all the attention. So, yeah. It was definitely new territory for Chuck, being the object of someone's affection. Shaking off the last of the effect that Carina had on him, he finished setting the last table of the section and passed the duty on to Hannah, one of the other servers, who just happened to walk in.

"Hey, Chuck!" she greeted with her usual smile.

"Hey, Hannah, you're here early."

"Yeah… I wanted to clock in some extra hours. Need any help?"

"I just finished half of the dining room and the balcony. You can finish off the rest if you want, I've got some stuff I need to take care of in the back." He handed her the tray with the place setting stuff.

"No problem!" she said as she took the tray from him.

"Thanks." He left her to finish setting the tables and went to the back of the house, and into the computer server room. It had unofficially become his office when he wasn't needed in the dining room. As the IT expert, he was the only one who really knew what was going on with the network and everything. He took a seat on the leather office chair that Sarah had gotten him and closed his eyes. Just as he was beginning to relax, there was a knock on his door. "Come in!" he called out, keeping his eyes closed.

"Hey," a welcomed voice called out shyly. Chuck opened his eyes to see Sarah standing in the doorway.

"Hey," he replied with a smile. "Come in!" She took two steps inside the room and closed the door behind her. "What's up?"

"Uh… Did Carina, by any chance, corner you in any way?" she asked. Sarah was wringing her hands in a nervous fashion.

"Ahh… Yeah… She's definitely an interesting one," he said, keeping in mind that Carina was Sarah's friend.

Sarah chuckled at his choice of words. "Interesting, yes… I just wanted to apologize for her. She can be… less than subtle."

"I could see that."

"Well, I just wanted to give you a heads up. She'll be around for a while. She's staying at my place while she's in town…"

Chuck waved her concern off. "Hey, she's your friend. I get it. You don't have to explain yourself to me."

 _Are all of her friends like that?_ he thought to himself without even realizing it. _No, I can't go around judging Sarah based on what her friends are like._

"I just don't want her scaring you off," Sarah clarified. "Your friendship means a lot to me. I don't want Carina ruining that." Her voice softened at the end as though she were not fully ready to admit that piece of evidence quite yet.

"Hey, now," he said softly, standing from his chair and pulling her into his arms. "It's gonna take a lot more than a crazy friend to drive me away. Believe it or not, but I'm fully committed to this friendship. Being your friend means a lot to _me_." Sarah nodded in understanding.

"Good. I'm glad."

"Same." Sarah stepped away from their embrace and straightened her clothes.

"Well, I better get back to work," she told him.

"Yeah. Me, too."

Chuck watched Sarah leave and sat in his chair once more. Sarah valued their friendship enough to come and check on him. She even told him that his friendship meant a lot to her. This made Chuck smile widely and raised his hopes at maybe him and Sarah becoming more than just friends. He had to walk the line carefully. He wanted to be Sarah's best friend in the sense that she could feel comfortable opening up to him; but he also didn't want to overstep his bounds and get tossed into the friendzone. That would be devastating and the work he'd have to put in to get out of there would be arduous.

So far, he thought he was doing a good job of treading that line. Sarah was opening up to him more and relaxing around him more, and she wasn't showing any signs of seeing him as a brother. They flirted every now and again, sometimes to Sarah's initiation. That was definitely good.

He just hoped that Carina's being here didn't ruin the momentum he had going on. He didn't know the woman, but he could tell that she was trouble when she wanted to be. He would just have to do his best not to let her get in the way. With a new determination, Chuck stood, straightened his uniform and left his office to finish opening the front of the house.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Sarah wanted to kill Carina. The woman knew no bounds. Just as she'd thought, Carina had cornered Chuck and "took him for a test run." She knew her friend's method of operation. Carina never went for a full-on attack when she first meets a guy. She first tests to see how far she could push before the guy backed off. Chuck, sweet, shy, innocent Chuck, wouldn't need that much pressure before he recoiled in intimidation. Despite the reassurances he'd given her in his unofficial office, she was still afraid that after seeing how crazy Carina was, he'd assume she was similar. She recently made the conclusion that the whole "show me your friends and I'll tell you who you are" bit was completely accurate for Chuck. What if he thought that the same concept applied for Sarah? That she was just as suggestive and lewd as Carina tended to be.

She shook her head. She hadn't given Chuck any indication that she was anything like Carina. They'd flirted, sure, but it was light, innocent flirting. Flirting that was meant to test the waters. There were never any crude comments or sexually suggestive innuendos. There was no seduction at play or hidden meaning. The flirting between them was with the intention that she wanted something serious. Something permanent. Something more than just a romp in the bed. At least on her part. Sarah sighed. She was over thinking things again as she knew she tended to do. She'd think herself in circles, driving herself mad.

But, she couldn't help it, especially when it was something she cared for deeply. Sarah wanted everything to be perfect. To work out perfectly. Carina was throwing a large wrench into everything, whether it was _taking_ Chuck away or _driving_ Chuck away.

Knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere worrying about Carina, Sarah pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on finishing the prep for the night.

The dinner service was as hectic as always, but Sarah ran a tight ship so the kitchen staff was pumping out food like there was no tomorrow. All the dishes went out on time and arrived at the table hot. Sarah dove into her work, welcoming the distraction from her thoughts and from the occasional sound of Chuck's voice putting in an order. She sautéed and seasoned vegetables, seared steaks, tasted soups and sauces, and occasionally went out into the front to converse with some of the patrons.

At one point during the night, while visiting a older couple – they were probably in their sixties – at their table, she caught a glimpse of Chuck as he served a table's entrees. The confidence with which he spoke to the patrons and handed them their plates was so different from the man that tended to babble and get nervous around her. "He's cute," the older woman commented. Sarah blinked and returned her attention to the lady.

"I'm sorry?" she asked, her smile slightly confused at the comment.

"The waiter you were eyeballing just now," the woman clarified. "He's cute. He your boyfriend?"

"Uhh… No. He's not."

"But you'd like him to be," she noted. Sarah's eyes went wide.

"Now, Laura, don't you go meddling again," her husband but in.

"Oh, hush, Craig," the woman said with a dismissive wave. "Now you listen here, sweetheart. That man over there looks like he would worship the ground you walked on and I've seen the way he's been sneaking glances at you every now and then since you've been here talking to us. I don't know what's holding you back from claiming that man as your own."

Sarah was taken aback at the woman's brashness. But, she was also dumbfounded. Chuck had been secretly watching her as well? Either way, she didn't want to delve into her relationship with Chuck to a stranger. "Ma'am," she said in her most polite voice. "We aren't together. We're just friends. Besides, it wouldn't be appropriate, seeing as I'm his boss." She didn't know why she added that last part. Perhaps it was a last-minute lame excuse for her to let the subject drop. However, instead of nodding in understanding and letting it go like Sarah hoped, the lady laughed.

"I know you own this place and you might think that him working for you would make things awkward for a relationship," she said, "but let me tell you: if he's worth it, it shouldn't matter." Sensing that she wouldn't win the battle, she simply nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind," she told her. "Well, I have to be going back to the kitchen. You two enjoy the rest of your evening." She shook hands with them both and headed back into the kitchen, pushing what the lady had said to the back of her mind along with the rest of her thoughts. She finished off the night, exhausted. The kitchen staff was already cleaning their various stations and outside, the wait staff was probably cleaning and closing, waiting for the last patrons to leave.

As Sarah headed toward her office, she saw Chuck headed toward the back door. "Hey, Chuck," she greeted.

"Hey, Sarah," he smiled. Despite the tired look that was prevalent on his features, his smile reached his eyes.

"Are you headed home?" she asked.

"Yeah… I'm exhausted. You?"

"I've still got some stuff to take care of here," she told him. It was true. She still had to run some numbers and take care of some paperwork.

"Oh? You need any help?" he offered, not wanting Sarah to stay late by herself. He was exhausted but he knew she was, too.

"Oh, no, it's fine, Chuck."

"I insist." Without waiting for a response, Chuck pushed past Sarah into her office and placed his things on the floor by the couch. "Go ahead and get started. I'll go make us some coffee." Sarah shook her head with a smile and went into her office, removing her jacket and hanging it on the hook by the door. She logged onto her computer and pulled up the proper files she needed to fill out. She was halfway through the first form when Chuck came back into the office carrying two mugs of coffee, with a plastic stirrer in each, and a Ziploc bag filled with liquid creamers and sugar. "I didn't know how you took your coffee so, I just grabbed a handful of each and figured you could do it yourself," he told her.

"Thanks," she said as she took the mug from him, not bothering to add the cream and sugar, as she took a sip.

"Ah… a plain black coffee girl, huh?" Sarah smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah… But if I were to be truly honest, my choice of drink would be a double shot Americano, no cream, no sugar." Chuck stored that away in what he'd dubbed as his 'Sarah vault'. It consisted of all the little things about Sarah that he'd noticed about her. Like the way her tongue peaked out just a bit between her lips when she was really concentrating on what she was cooking. Or, the way her eyebrows scrunched up when she was really thinking hard about something.

"Wow… What. A. Hard Ass," he said with pure and genuine amusement in his voice. They both laughed briefly. He took a seat on the couch and opened his laptop. "Alright… Let's get to work. I'm already patched into the network on my laptop so it should be easy for me to access the restaurant files. So… What needs to be done?"

"Just some paperwork and I've gotta run tonight's numbers," she told him.

"Do you want me to run the numbers while you finish whatever paperwork it is that you need to finish?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," she said. She grabbed the financial records notebook and handed it to Chuck. She gave him a crash course in how she organized the financial books and told him that if he had any questions, to just ask her. "Thanks."

"No problem. At least this way, we'll be done faster," he said before opening up the accounts tab from the main database, summing up all of the tables' totals.

It was nearing an hour later and Sarah had finished the paperwork she needed to take care of and took a seat next to Chuck on the couch. "You almost done?" she asked.

"Yeah. Just a couple of more tables to go," he replied. When he finished and noted down all the numbers, he set his laptop on the small table in front of him and turned to look at Sarah. "You do this every night?" he asked.

"Yup."

"Why?"

"You saw how many tabs there were for one night. If I let that accumulate during the week, I'd be here forever."

"Why not hire someone?" he wondered, scooting a little closer. Sarah shrugged.

"I thought about it, but then I realized that I don't want to trust someone with handling my accounts unless I absolutely trust them. I don't want to risk getting stolen from or being scammed or anything like that." Chuck held in a grin at Sarah's implication that she absolutely trusted him.

"That makes total sense," he agreed, deciding not to bring it up. "If you want, I can help you so you're not here two hours longer than you need to be."

"Oh, no, Chuck. As generous and sweet as that offer is, I can't ask that of you," she shook her head.

"It's really no problem. I mean… I'd be on the computer the whole time working within the network so it kinda sorta technically falls under my job as IT… You know, if you pretend really hard." Sarah looked at him with a wry smile.

"Are you sure you're not just trying to make more money off of me?" she asked, the twinkle in her eye taking away any negative connotations to the accusation.

"Oh, absolutely," Chuck responded, taking the bait for banter. "I mean, I did just see how much this restaurant is raking in. I think you can spare an extra forty bucks or so."

"And here I was, really thinking that you were offering to help me out of the kindness of your heart."

"Nope. Not at all. Totally in this for the money." They laughed together, unconsciously scooting even closer together. When they calmed down, their eyes locked and they were frozen in a trance. Sarah was the first to break away.

"I, uh… I better get home. Carina's staying with me and I really don't want to leave her alone with my goldfish." Chuck raised a curious brow at that. "Last time she visited, I was in Italy. She knocked over his bowl and then let him swim around in the sink until I got back."

"I see… But I'm more interested in the fact that you're a fish person…" Sarah rolled her eyes. Of course Chuck would focus on the smallest, most insignificant detail.

"I'm not, really. I'm more of a dog person," she explained. "It's just… the hours I put into being a chef make it a little difficult for me to have one. And, living alone in a country where the only people you know are the people that you work with is kind of depressing, so… Fish it is. No walking or playing required. And you only have to feed them twice a day, so…"

 _Another thing to store in the vault,_ Chuck thought.

"Well then, I better let you go save that fish's life, then," he said standing and gathering his things. "That Carina, she's… different." Sarah winced.

"Are you sure she didn't like… traumatize you or anything earlier?"

"I'm sure. Maybe I'll have a nightmare tonight or something, but other than that, I should be good," he joked. It worked, apparently, as the worried look on Sarah's face dissolved and she was smiling again.

Together, they made their way out of the restaurant only to see that while Chuck's car was in the parking lot, right where he'd parked it, Sarah's car was not. "That bitch," Sarah muttered angrily as she searched her purse for her keys. "She took my car."

"What?"

"Carina must've swiped my car keys from my purse and took off. I'm gonna kill her."

"Wait a minute, hold on," Chuck placated. "Before we start planning a homicide… Why would Carina take your car?"

"She probably cheaped out and didn't want to rent one so she took a cab here and decided to take my car to get around. Without. Asking." Sarah was fuming. When she got back to her apartment, she was going to rip that woman a new one.

"Well, how about I drive you to your apartment so that you don't have to call a cab or anything?"

"What? Chuck. It's out of your way. It's too much."

"Oh, come on. It's just a ride. It's not like you live in Anaheim or anything like that." A beat. "You don't live in Anaheim, right?" Sarah laughed.

"No. I live at Maison23."

"Oh! Not too far. I know where that is, I can drive you there. Come on." Without thinking, he took Sarah's hand in his and led her to his car, unlocking it when they got close and opening her door for her. When she was settled, he hopped into the driver's seat and started the car, pulling out of the restaurant parking lot. As they turned onto Franklin Avenue, Sarah turned to Chuck.

"You know, I never realized how close you lived to the restaurant," she noted.

"Yeah. It's convenient, I guess. You don't live too far, either."

"I live further away from the restaurant than you."

"Five miles is not that far."

"It's further than two miles," Sarah shot with a smirk.

"I concede. You win," Chuck said, raising one hand in surrender.

The rest of the ride was silent save for the sound of traffic outside of the car and the soft music playing over the radio. It wasn't the actual radio, however, Sarah quickly surmised. It was music, no doubt, off of Chuck's iPod. Sarah smiled at the song that was playing. She didn't recognize it, but she loved the sound of it. It wasn't anything that Chuck had played for her yet. Granted, Chuck hadn't played much for her yet, they'd only gone through two genres so far and even that was just a limited view into the heart and more popular songs of the genre. It wasn't long into their 'sessions' that Sarah realized that she enjoyed listening to Chuck's narrations about the different genres and songs just as much, if not more than, listening to the music itself. It wasn't long after that that Sarah realized she just liked being in his company.

"Here we are," Chuck said as they pulled into the driveway of her apartment building, distracting Sarah from her thoughts.

"Thanks," she said, though she made no move to get out just yet. She simply smiled at him. "I really appreciate you, Chuck," she said. "I don't normally say that to people, but I wanted to say that to you. I don't really have many people that I could call a true friend – sometimes I even wonder if I could actually call Carina a true friend. But, you… You've quickly become one of my best friends and I appreciate everything that you've done for me since we met." It wasn't easy for Sarah to share her feelings, but there was something about Chuck that made her want to open up. She figured it was his kind nature, always open to accept people despite who they are and what they've done.

"I appreciate you, too, Sarah," he said back, a soft smile on his face. "You've done more for me than you probably realize, so thank you."

"Well, I should probably get inside," Sarah said, breaking the atmosphere. "It's already late and you need to get home."

"Yeah… That's probably best," Chuck replied. Sarah got out of his car but before she closed the door, she bent over to look at him once more.

"Thanks again for the ride. I'll see you tomorrow," she said before closing the door.

"Wow, Chuck, 'best friend,'" Chuck muttered in self-pity. "Way to fall head-first into the friendzone." Chuck made sure she was safely inside the building before pulling away, ready to drink a glass of whisky before going to bed.

Sarah made her way up to her room, exhausted from the day's events. The fact that it was nearing 3am wasn't helping either. Upon opening the door, the first thing she was Carina, still up, on the couch, watching a movie.

"You know," the redhead said, not looking away from the television. "A spare key in the flower pot is the first place a thief looks before they pick a lock," Sarah rolled her eyes.

"What are you still doing up?" Sarah asked, choosing to ignore Carina's first statement.

"Waiting for you," was the reply. "We've got quite a bit to talk about."

"Like what? The fact that you stole my car earlier today?"

"Like you and waiter boy, of course," Carina said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, choosing to ignore Sarah's second question.

"I told you before, we're just friends," Sarah insisted. "There's nothing to talk about there."

"How about the fact that you like him?" Carina pressed. "Or that he likes you back?"

"What? You're crazy," Sarah denied.

"Oh, come on, Sarah. You can't lie to me. You like Chuckles."

Sarah sighed. "You know what? I'm not gonna argue this with you," she said, moving toward the bathroom to get ready for bed. "Besides," she called out. "You're wrong. He doesn't like me like that. A week ago, I had dinner with him and his sister – and some of their friends so don't get any ideas – and I overheard him tell his sister that he was happy being 'just friends' with me." She didn't particularly want to mention the fact that she'd spent the night.

"But that doesn't change the fact that you still like him," Carina prodded.

"Why do you care so much that I like this guy?"

"Ah-ha! You didn't deny it!" Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Answer my question, Carina."

"Because, Walker, you deserve a good guy. And I could tell that Chuck is a good guy within the first two seconds of talking to him," Carina explained. "You know, I'm a bit offended that you think that all I care about is my next lay." Sarah peeked out of the bathroom, a toothbrush in her mouth, a skeptical look on her face. "Oh, come on! Look. I know how much what's-his-face hurt you. I just wanted to make sure this new guy won't make the same mistake. You're my friend, Sarah. I promise you, I have good intentions. Besides, while Chuckles is cute-ish, in a geeky sort of way, he's not really my type."

Sarah bit back the urge to correct Carina – again – and tell her that Chuck preferred term 'nerd', but she didn't think that it was the time or place, and doing so would only confirm her feelings for Chuck and she wasn't quite ready to admit that, even to her friend. Because, as good of a friend as Carina was, most of the time, she was also a loose cannon and Sarah couldn't exactly count on her to keep her mouth shut and not tell Chuck of her feelings toward him. It would just be awkward if she told him she liked him and he only viewed her as his friend and boss. She'd rather stick to the status quo and have him in her life rather than risk it and lose him altogether.

Sarah came out of the bathroom dressed and ready for bed. "Whatever you say, Carina," she said as she headed for her bed. "If you're gonna stay up, keep it down." Climbing in and turning off her lamp, Sarah succumbed to her exhaustion and promptly fell asleep.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Sarah woke up the next morning at around eleven to find that Carina was still passed out on the couch's pullout bed. She got ready for the day and grabbed her keys from Carina's purse, leaving a note that said,

 _Either get a rental or catch a cab. ~S_

"That'll teach you to steal my car," she muttered, knowing that in order to get a rental, Carina would have to catch a cab, and Carina hated cabs.

Making sure she had everything, she left the room to head to the gym and then to the restaurant, as per her daily routine.

Sarah arrived at the restaurant at around three in the afternoon, having showered and changed at the gym, before running to do some errands. Most of the prep staff was already in the kitchen pulling out the marinated and braised meats and chopping up vegetables for the line. Sarah gave them a quick greeting before heading into her office, checking the time on her desktop. It was still a little early so Sarah leaned back in her chair, shutting her eyes. Two hours until they opened and she virtually had nothing to do. Suddenly, her phone rang. She dug through her purse to find it.

"Hello?" she answered, not bothering to check the caller ID.

"You left me stranded here!" Carina's voice accused on the other end of the line. Sarah smirked.

"Serves you right," she shot back. "Or did you forget that you left me stranded at the restaurant last night? At least I had the decency to leave you a note." She could practically see Carina rolling her eyes.

"Oh, come on, Sarah. I knew that Geek Charming would come to your rescue. But now I have no way to get anywhere! You know how much I hate cabs."

"Well… you could always try walking," Sarah suggested with an evil smile before hanging up without waiting for a response. She tossed her phone onto her desk with a satisfied smile on her face.

If Carina didn't learn her lesson before, she learned it just then. Having reached her 'evildoings' quota of the day, Sarah stood from her desk and put on her chef's jacket. She wanted to check in with the prep staff, see if everything was going well.

"Hey, Richard," she greeted. Richard Noble was a hard-working man, which was why Sarah put him in charge of the prep staff.

"Hey, Sarah."

"Everything good here?"

"Yup. We're almost done with this and we'll be moving on to starting the slow boil broth."

"Great." Sarah started to move down the stations when Richard called her back.

"By the way, I just got a call from Alex. She can't make it in today," he told her. "Oh. And, she might not make it in tomorrow, either."

"Damn," Sarah sighed. Alex Forrest was her head pastry chef. There were three of them in total, but they rotated so that two of them were here and they could still enjoy their days off, but with how packed the restaurant was every night, it was always all hands on deck. "Well, we can work the schedules around for tomorrow, but tonight is going to be too last minute. Do you think we can get in touch with Vivian? See if she can come in?"

"Her father's in town, remember?" Richard reminded her.

"Right. And Brody's already coming in, so no point in asking him. It's either we find a last minute stand in, or we 86 half the dessert menu because I'd rather do that than let Brody handle all of that by himself. We're already tight enough as it is." Richard nodded his agreement.

"So what do you want to do?" Sarah groaned. Looked like her victory was short lived.

After letting Richard get back to work, Sarah went into her office and dug out her phone. There was only one pastry chef in Los Angeles that she knew of that wasn't doing anything important or particular just then.

"Called to say 'sorry' already, did you?" Carina's smug tone was seeping through the earpiece.

"I need a favor," Sarah admitted.

"Really? I'm kind of busy right now… You know, heading to the rental place to get a car." Sarah rolled her eyes. This wouldn't be easy.

"Come on, Carina."

"What do you want, Blondie?"

"One of my pastry chefs called in and we're short a body."

"Ooh… Sucks for you."

"Carina!" Sarah whined. She actually whined. It was embarrassing.

"I'm on vacation, Sweetheart," Carina said. "I leave tomorrow for Hawaii and I'm not going to spend today working a dinner service when I could be enjoying myself at one of LA's finest clubs."

"Come on, Carina! I need your help." She'd already whined, what more of her dignity was left?

"Hm… I'll think about it…"

"Carina."

"Alright! Fine. I'll help. I'll head right over there after I get this car. I gotta go. I'm next in line."

"Thank you so much! I owe you one." Sarah hung up and sighed. _Fantastic,_ she thought bitterly. Carina was probably already thinking of things she could call in for the owed favor. _Whatever_. She couldn't spend time dwelling on that. She had work to do.

Carina showed up an hour later and Sarah showed her where everything was and who everyone was. She'd just finished explaining what the desserts on the menu were and the recipes for each when Chuck walked past the kitchen toward the front of the house, dressed in his server attire.

"Hey, there, handsome!" Carina called out saucily. Chuck froze and turned, blinking in shock at Carina dressed in chef's whites.

"Uhh… Hi?" he replied as more of a question than a greeting. "W-What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Sarah here needed some help. Do _you_ need some help, too?" she asked suggestively Chuck's eyes widened at the implication. Sarah smacked her friend's arm.

"I'm sorry for her," Sarah apologized. "Again."

"I'll just be…" he pointed behind him toward the front of the house, signaling that he would be getting to work. Sarah nodded. Once Chuck was gone and Carina and Sarah were alone again,

"Leave him alone, would you?" Sarah said.

Carina just laughed. "You have to admit, his face was hilarious." Sarah tried to bite back a smile and failed. The look on Chuck's face was pretty funny.

"That doesn't mean you can tease him. He works hard. He doesn't deserve your harassment."

Carina laughed. "No promises. It's too much fun."

"Just… go easy on him, would you?"

"Like I said… No promises." Sarah rolled her eyes. That was the best she was going to get from Carina.

"Well, I'll let you get used to where everything is," she said. "I've got to go and check on the front and make sure the rest of the kitchen staff is good."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Carina waved her off.

She found Chuck in his station, making sure all of the table settings were up to standard. "Hey," she greeted, walking up to him. Chuck spun around with an easy smile on his face.

"Hey! So… I see Carina's here?"

"Yeah. Alex called in so Carina's taking her place while she's gone," Sarah explained. At Chuck's nervous look, Sarah smiled. "I told her to stop bothering you. I wouldn't expect it to stop completely, though."

"I'll just… You know… Avoid her…" Sarah couldn't help but wince. Chuck apparently saw it. "Look, I know she's your friend, Sarah. But that woman… She kinda scares the crap outta me." At that, Sarah laughed a bit.

"I know. I'm not offended." They shared a smile and Sarah went on to check in on the rest of the servers in their stations.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The night was a success. Carina had stepped in beautifully and everything went off without a hitch. By the time the last of the patrons had left, it was just the remaining kitchen and wait staff scheduled to clean and close, and Sarah and Carina that remained. The two friends sat together in Sarah's office, chatting and reminiscing over glasses of wine.

"But seriously, Sarah," Carina said once she'd calmed down after the most recent fit of laughter between the two. "I had a lot of fun tonight working with you again."

"I did, too," Sarah admitted, taking another sip of her wine. "It was nice to be in the same kitchen with you. I think the last time we worked together for a full dinner service was back at the CIA for that one assignment our senior year."

"Oh, my God! That's right! That night was insanely chaotic."

"It was! We almost didn't make it, but everyone really pulled through."

"It was mostly you, though, taking charge the way you did," Carina stated.

"Nah. It was all of us."

"Now you're just being annoyingly humble about it." Sarah laughed. "Seriously though, Sarah. You were so amazing back then and you are just as amazing now."

"Thanks, Carina. That means a lot," Sarah smiled sincerely.

"Yeah. And don't even get me started with you and Zondra working together. I mean, talk about dream team." The smile on Sarah's face faded as she was reminded of her former best friend.

"That's over now," was all she said in reply.

"Whatever happened to the two of you, anyways?" Carina asked. "All I know is that one day, the two of you went from being best friends to worst enemies."

"It doesn't matter."

"Whatever you say, Blondie," Carina waved off airily, not buying Sarah's nonchalance. "Well, I better get back to the apartment. I've forgotten how exhausting running a dinner service is. I don't know how you do it six days out of a week."

Sarah smiled. "I have a good team." The friends bid each other a temporary goodbye and Carina was gone, leaving Sarah alone in her office to do the paperwork and number crunching that came with her job. After she'd found her rhythm, a knock on her door pulled her attention away from her computer. "Come in!" she called.

"Hey, Sarah," Chuck greeted when he poked his head in.

"Hey! You're still here?"

"Yeah. I had to close tonight. And, I'm also here to see if you needed any help with the numbers again tonight," he said.

"I'm actually almost done," she said. "Not a lot of paperwork to go through tonight so I just need to finish adding these numbers up and I'll be good to go." Chuck nodded.

"Alright," he said. He paused, as though he were unsure of what he wanted to say next. "Would you, uh… Would you like me to wait for you? Everyone else is already gone so…" Sarah smiled at him.

"If you want." He returned the smile and entered the office fully, closing the door once more, taking a seat on the couch. Sarah went back to her work on the computer and quickly finished up.

When she was all done, Chuck walked her out to her car and the two of them split ways, wishing the other a good night.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Chuck showed up to work early the next day. He had some things he needed to do in the server room and he wanted to get that done as quickly as possible. Upon entering the restaurant, he made a beeline for his office and got to work immediately, updating the servers with a code he'd written to streamline the online reservations and overall just make the website smoother. Once everything was set up – with all that was left was to wait for the changes to be made – Chuck put on his server's vest and went out to the front of the room to help with opening the floor.

It being Saturday, the live Jazz band that he and Sarah had hired was to be performing. He greeted the band as they set up on a raised platform that was previously unused. It used to serve as an unofficial servers' station where they kept pitchers of water for refills. Now, having been outfitted with a Jazz drum set, a baby grand piano, various amps and monitors, as well as a soundboard, it was a fully functional musical stage.

He walked up to the band leader and introduced himself. He also took the liberty of reminding him of the type of music they were expecting to hear, as well as how long the set list should be. When everything was all set with the band, Chuck made his way back to his office to check on the progress of his update. It was outside his door that he ran into Carina.

"Woah! You in a rush, Chuckie?" she asked as she grabbed his shoulders to steady him as he nearly ran her over.

"Uh… Sorry, Carina. Just had to check on the servers really quick before heading back out to the front of the house to help open," Chuck explained. "What… What are you doing here? Where's Sarah?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Carina inquired with a smirk. Chuck eyes went wide and he stammered, attempting to find a proper response and failing. "Don't get your boxers in a twist, Chuckles," Carina laughed. "Sarah's not here, yet. But I'm on my way to the airport and I wanted to talk to you alone before I left."

"W-Why?"

"You seem like a nice guy," she said. "Decent. Kind. Caring. Honest. Which is good, because that's what Sarah needs. I don't think you'd ever willingly hurt her but if you do, just know that I'll be on the next plane to Los Angeles to kick your ass." Chuck blinked.

"Sarah and I are just friends," Chuck insisted. "But I appreciate the message. It's good to know that someone is out there to look out for her."

"Come on, Chuck. I think you and I both know that there is something more than just friendship between you and Blondie. Just admit it and move on with your lives." Chuck was taken aback at Carina's words.

"But–"

"Look," Carina interrupted. "I gotta go now. You take care of my friend, would you?" Chuck, still shocked at the conversation that had just taken place, simply nodded and watched as the redhead disappeared out the back door.

The last thing she'd told him kept replaying in his mind. _You and I both know that there is something more than just friendship between you and Blondie._ Was there? He definitely knew that he felt something for Sarah. But was it the same for her? She'd just called him her best friend. The only thing she could have told him to make it more obvious that he'd been friendzoned was if she'd told him that he was like a brother or some other kind of family member.

But if what Carina said was true, that even _she_ could see something more between him and Sarah, then there was still hope. And, at that point, hope was all he needed.

* * *

Carina's not _all_ bad... Right? Until next time!

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	8. Chuck Versus the Best Friend

One of the things I loved about Chuck was the relationship between Sarah and Morgan. By season five, they had that special bond that you just can't put into words. Ugh. I miss the show so much! Sigh...

 **Disclaimer:** I only own the Chuck DVDs... They're sitting on my bookshelf. But that's not the same thing as owning _Chuck._ Which I don't. *sigh*

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the Best Friend**

"Chinese?" Chuck asked, a slight smirk on his face.

"Oh, yeah, dude," Morgan nodded, holding up the take-out menu. "An Evening of Morgan is not complete without our bellies full of sizzling shrimp." Chuck chuckled at his bearded friend. With how busy he was at the restaurant, he hadn't had time to spend with his best friend and he felt a little bad, so he promised that they'd get together the next time he was off.

"Alright, Buddy." Chuck conceded. "It's your call."

"Hey, you're inviting Sarah, right?" Chuck raised an eyebrow in question.

"Sarah?"

"Yeah, man! I know you guys aren't dating or anything like that," Morgan replied. "But you two have been attached at the hip since you met. Besides, it'll be a good opportunity to do my duty as your hetero-life partner to make sure that this girl is good for you as a potential love interest." Chuck rolled his eyes. Morgan always had a sense of over protection for Chuck growing up, especially after his last relationship. Chuck let him. Morgan was there for him when things were pretty bad and he knew that his little buddy would always be there for him no matter what. Anyone he dated had to be on good terms with Morgan just like she had to be on good terms with Ellie and Awesome. Besides, Morgan was mostly bark and never any bite.

"I'll ask," he acquiesced. "No promises, though. Sarah's pretty busy."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

"What's an Evening of Morgan?" Sarah asked hesitantly, as she took a bite of the dish Chuck had made. It was Sunday afternoon and they were eating the lunch that Chuck prepared as part of his cooking lesson.

"It's a night where Morgan is in charge of everything: food, movie, venue, etc. You know," Chuck explained. "I mean, we take turns, but he likes to give it a name. It's all of his favorite things. Tonight, we'll just be at my place, him, Ellie, and me. Awesome's got the late shift tonight so he unfortunately can't be there."

"I see… And you're telling me all about this because…" Chuck looked hesitant to say, but did anyway.

"He wants you to be there, too," he told her. Sarah was surprised. The look on her face told him as much.

"He does? Why? We've only really spoken that one night. And, it wasn't that stimulating of a conversation." Chuck chuckled lightly at that remembering the first time Sarah and Morgan had met.

"Yeah, I know, but he says he wants to get to know you better," Chuck said. "He says it's because you and I hang out so much, he wants to make sure that you're a good influence on me, but I think he secretly hopes that you'll take a liking to him and offer him some cooking lessons as well." Sarah laughed at Chuck's reasoning to get her to come. "You obviously don't have to go if you don't want to, but I just thought to extend the invitation." Sarah shook her head to dispel any thoughts that she might decline. She'd been wanting to find a way to spend more time with Chuck and his family and this was perfect.

"No, no! Of course I would love to go. It sounds like it could be a lot of fun," she insisted. "Besides, we wouldn't want Morgan to think I'm a bad influence on you," she joked with a wink. Chuck's smile grew as Sarah's did.

"Great! So… He's actually on his way here so we can go pick up the food." Sarah's eyes went wide.

"Right now?"

"Well, not right _now_ as in, at this moment. His shift at the Buy More ends in a half hour then he's taking a cab over."

"Oh."

"Sorry it's all last minute," Chuck apologized quickly. "In hindsight, I should have lead with that, but he needed a car and I have one so…"

"It's not a problem! I totally get it."

"Would you… like to come with us?"

"What?"

"To get the food," Chuck clarified. "Do you want to come with me and Morgan to get the food?"

"Uhh… sure? I guess. Yeah."

"Awesome!" Chuck smiled.

Morgan arrived via cab an hour and a half later, right in the middle of Chuck and Sarah's music lesson, causing the pair to end early so as to accompany the bearded man to get food for the night.

"I'm so glad you could join us, Sarah," Morgan said from the back middle seat of Chuck's Yaris.

"My pleasure," Sarah turned from her spot in the passenger's seat to look Chuck's best friend in the eye. "I can't wait to find out what an… Evening of Morgan is all about." Chuck held back a snort of laughter, and Sarah could see his active attempt to suppress a smile. She was being honest, for the most part. She wanted to get to know more about Morgan – and Ellie, too – mainly because they were important to Chuck. That, and because they seemed like genuine, kind people that Sarah needed more of in her life.

Thirty minutes later, Chuck parked the car and the trio stepped out of the car and onto the sidewalk of Los Angeles' Chinatown, walking the short distance to the Bamboo Dragon to get the food necessary for the night's activities. Morgan walked between her and Chuck and Sarah just listened to the banter between the two men, enjoying it fully. When there was finally a lull in the conversation, she spoke up. "So… What exactly are we getting here?" she asked. Morgan looked at her as though she'd grown a second head.

"Are you serious?" he asked her. Sarah was slightly taken aback at the complete change in mood at her question. "Chuck, dude. You never told her about the sizzling shrimp?" Chuck chuckled.

"Ahhh… No. I guess it slipped."

"Sizzling…" Sarah trailed off, hoping to prompt an explanation.

"Sizzling shrimp!" Morgan affirmed. "Only the best Chinese-American hybrid delicacy on this side of the country. We are gonna stuff ourselves so full of shrimp that a seal's gonna be jealous." Morgan poked Sarah's belly as he said that before walking slightly ahead of them to lead the way. Sarah looked over at Chuck in question – and a bit of amusement – and moved closer to him.

"Morgan has a black belt in dumplings. I trust him with any recommendations for food items less than ten dollars."

"Is that so?"

"Wow! No faith in the little bearded man," Chuck joked. "You may be a world renowned chef, but Morgan's got the golden tongue." Sarah laughed and shoved Chuck lightly, causing him to laugh as well. She turned to look back at Chuck's best friend.

"So," she called out to get Morgan's attention. "What happens after dinner?"

Morgan turned back to face the pair and smiled. "Dinner will be followed by a screening over at Chuck's of the greatest kung fu film:"

"Enter the Dragon," Chuck and Morgan finished together in sync and, surprisingly, in harmony. Chuck continued on in a terrible, yet adorable, impersonation of an English dub.

"Prepare to die, my bearded friend." The two then began to pretend fight in kung fu.

"Ow! Hey! Uncle!" Morgan called out as Chuck got the upper hand. Then suddenly, Morgan stopped and started brushing himself. "Oh, hey. Chill. Be cool. There he is." Chuck looked over toward the direction that his friend was looking in and saw the sketchy guy who was selling things out of his backpack.

"What? Dude! No! I thought you were off that stuff, Buddy," Chuck protested. Sarah didn't know what to think at the quick shift in Chuck's demeanor. She could see him tense immediately. Then, Chuck's words permeated through her thoughts. _Was Morgan on drugs?_ she wondered. _That actually would explain quite a bit._ Either way, she was still a little worried for the little man and also for Chuck. But before her mind could wander further, Chuck's voice broke through once more. "You know how I feel about fireworks!" Sarah released a breath she didn't realize she was holding, a smile finding its way onto her features. Of course Morgan wasn't on drugs. Not with Ellie, Chuck, and even Devon around him.

"What? Come on man! We gotta take risks! Embrace danger."

"Uhh. I'd rather embrace my limbs, thank you. Specifically all of them," Chuck quipped in reply. "No sale. Sorry, Buddy." Chuck herded Morgan away from the firework dealer and toward the restaurant, sending a small wink to Sarah.

They made quick work of ordering the food and were on their way back to Echo Park. Chuck dropped Sarah off at _Il Castillo_ 's parking lot so she could pick up her car, and led the way back to his apartment complex. Ellie was already there, having set up everything for the night. "Sarah!" she greeted enthusiastically upon seeing the blonde walk through the door with Chuck and Morgan.

"Hey, Ellie," Sarah smiled amicably.

"Oh, my goodness, it is so nice to have another girl for these nights. There is way to much testosterone running though this apartment," Ellie gushed, as she guided Sarah toward the kitchen.

"I heard that!" Chuck called out, the mirth in his tone prominent.

"You were meant to!" Ellie shot back, equally sarcastic and jovial. Sarah laughed at the easy atmosphere between the siblings. "So," the brunette continued, returning her attention to Sarah, and yet dividing it just enough to pour them both a glass a wine. "How have you been? How's the restaurant?" Sarah accepted the glass, leaning against the counter of the kitchen as though she'd been there enough times to feel extremely comfortable, when in reality, she'd only been there the one other night for dinner when she first met Chuck's family and friends.

"It's been good," she said taking a sip of the wine. "Business has really been booming, which means I've been doing nothing but working. But, you know, sacrifices and all that. It's worth it, being able to live out my dream." Ellie, for her part, just listened as Sarah gushed about her feelings about the restaurant. It was so strange. She was never one to talk about her inner thoughts and feelings about something. But at two little questions – two questions meant for small talk, nonetheless – Sarah felt like she was bearing her heart and soul to Ellie. There was just something about the Bartowski siblings that made her want to open up and she didn't know what it was. "But, Chuck…" she said as she neared the end of her tirade. "He's been… Gosh… He's been a Godsend. He stays after to help sort the books and he's taking care of all the IT stuff behind the scenes. It's… I don't even ask him, you know? He just volunteers and won't take 'no' for an answer. It's so sweet, and caring, and just genuinely kind. I've never experienced that before." By the time Sarah had trailed off, Ellie was just smiling as though she knew a secret that Sarah didn't.

"Chuck's always been like that," the elder Bartowski said. "He loves to help others." The two women looked over at the two boys who had been playing Call of Duty for the past ten minutes. "Anyways, let's go eat. I'm sure those two are starving."

They gathered around the dining table and each piled the various Chinese entrées onto their paper plates before moving to the living room. As they all settled into the couch, Chuck set up the movie. "Prepare yourselves for the kung-fu master: Bruce Lee," he announced as he pressed play on the remote and sandwiched himself between Sarah and the arm of the couch. Next to Sarah was Ellie and on the other side of his sister was Morgan. Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah saw Ellie roll her eyes at her brother's nerdiness. Sarah only smiled. He was so cute when let his passion for things show.

Sarah ate her food and watched the movie, genuinely and pleasantly surprised at the taste. It was actually pretty good for Chinese takeout. She tried not to be picky about food, but being a chef made that difficult, especially when she knew what was missing that could make the dish better. So, it was always a pleasant surprise when she found a dish that she didn't necessarily want to fix. When she was finished, she set her empty plate on the coffee table and readjusted her position on the couch slightly to get more comfortable. Turns out, that position was with her knees pulled up all the way to her chest, her feet resting on the couch in front of her, and her head on Chuck's shoulder. Normally, with her head cocked to the side like that, it would've been extremely uncomfortable after a few minutes, but Chuck's height allowed her to rest her head at a cozy angle.

Chuck didn't want to move. Not after Sarah had placed her head on his shoulder. Thankfully, he'd already discarded his plate and empty beer bottle onto the coffee table, so he could relax and enjoy the feeling of Sarah's body pressed against his.

And yet, his vision of Xanadu was shattered as the movie ended and Sarah got up to stretch and use the restroom, leaving Chuck blinking in confusion at how quick time had gone by. He was pulled back to reality as he felt the cushions on the couch shift. He looked over to his left to see Ellie sitting right next to him. He yelped in shock. "Shh!" Ellie reprimanded. "I don't want Sarah to hear."

"Hear what?" he asked incredulously.

"I saw you," she teased in a way that only a big sister would.

"What did I do?"

"You and Sarah!" Ellie said, not succeeding in keeping her voice leveled. "She was all over you tonight."

"She had her head on my shoulder," Chuck protested, despite the warmth he felt rush to his cheeks and the fluttering he felt in his stomach.

"Whatever you say, little brother," Ellie rolled her eyes. "You know, I don't know why you won't take the risk and ask her out already. She's totally into you."

"Says you."

"I'm serious! You should have heard her talking about you before dinner," Ellie protested.

"That's what you say about all the other girls you've tried to set me up with the day after a failed date," Chuck deadpanned. "Only thing is they couldn't stop talking about how lame and dorky I was."

"Hey, now. Don't talk about yourself like that," Ellie chided. "You are a great guy. Any girl would be lucky to have you." Chuck sighed. They'd had this talk plenty times before.

"You're just saying that because you have to," Chuck said standing up to start cleaning up.

"Nah, man, she's right," Morgan said as Chuck joined his best friend in the kitchen, The man was eating another serving of sizzling shrimp right out of the takeout box. "You've got plenty to offer. Sarah would be an idiot to not want to be with you." Chuck's eyes widened and looked back to toward the hallway to make sure the woman in question was still in the bathroom.

"Say that any louder, would ya? I don't think the people in China heard you," Chuck narrowed his eyes.

"I'm just saying dude," Morgan shrugged before grabbing his can of grape soda and heading back into the living room to set up the video game console. Chuck rolled his eyes and threw away the paper plates that were still in his hands and began to clean up some of the mess around the kitchen.

"Need some help?" came a voice from behind him. Chuck smiled and turned.

"I'm just about done," he informed the beautiful blonde who was leaning against the counter. He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of beer and showed them to her.

"Sure," Sarah smiled. Chuck closed the fridge and opened the two bottles, and handed one over to Sarah before grabbing two more for Morgan and Ellie. They both headed back into the living room to see that Morgan had set up the Wii.

"Prepare yourselves," the bearded man began ominously, "for the ultimate showdown! I present to you, the Super Mario Tournament of Champions!" Ellie rolled her eyes and took a controller from Morgan as he handed them out. Chuck chuckled and took one for himself. Sarah's eyes were wide, not knowing exactly what to do as Morgan deposited the white controller in her hand.

"Come on, I'll show you how it works," Chuck said, guiding Sarah back to the couch. He explained Morgan's rules for the 'Tournament of Champions' – which was basically a free for all Mario Party game where whoever wins the game, wins – and the basics for how to use the Wii remote. By the time he was done and she had the strap secured around her wrist, Morgan had the screen loaded and already, him, Ellie, and Chuck were picking their characters. Ellie had chosen a blonde princess with a pink dress, Morgan picked some green dinosaur looking thing, and Chuck selected a little mushroom man. "That's Princess Peach, Yoshi, and Toad," Chuck explained, pointing out the characters on the screen.

Sarah looked at the remaining choices. There was obviously Mario and Luigi – she at least knew who they were – and some other interesting looking characters. She thought about going with the pink mushroom girl, but figured that it might be too obvious since she the characters all looked like they were supposed to be partnered up somehow. She didn't want to be a princess nor some weird pink dinosaur. That left a short fat character, a tall skinny one, a ghost, the skeleton of a turtle, a squid, and a green turtle. She held her arm up, pointing the remote at the screen and moved the pointer around the way she'd seen Chuck do it and hovered over the squid, pressing 'A' while holding the remote as still as possible so as not accidently choose any of the other surrounding characters.

Once her choice was made, Morgan got the game started and she turned to smile at Chuck. He was nodding in approval. "Blooper. Interesting choice."

"Why's that?"

"Well, in the Super Mario series, he's one of the enemies that you have to get past in order to beat the game. But despite that, and how annoying he is, you can't help but love how cute he actually is! And, this is the first time he's available as a playable character and I guess it's kinda fitting since this is your first time playing," Chuck said.

"I see. So it's not because, as your boss, you look at me like I'm an enemy but I'm just too cute to really hate?" she teased.

"Oh. That. Definitely," Chuck agreed, then laughed.

"Hey lovebirds! Game's starting!" Morgan called out getting Chuck and Sarah's attention. The pair blushed and returned their attention to the game. They went through the motions of choosing how many rounds they would play. Morgan wanted to play fifty but Ellie had the early shift the next morning so they compromised to twenty. They then picked the game board – Koopa's Tycoon Town – and went through the quick tutorial – mostly for Sarah's sake. After they decided the order they would play in – Morgan, Sarah, Ellie, then Chuck – they were off, each one of them inching their way down the board. After Sarah had come in last on the first minigame, and subsequently last on the board, Chuck began to see a new side of the blonde.

She'd started to take the game seriously, cheering and talking trash whenever she won a minigame or managed to claim a hotel. But, she was still struggling slightly with the minigames, which brought her score down just enough. By the end of the night, Sarah managed to finish in third place behind Morgan, but only because Ellie had given up trying, just wanting to go to bed because of her early shift. Chuck, of course, placed first and had a very satisfied smile on his face.

"And that, my friends, is how you take over a town," he said as he set his Wii remote on the coffee table and stood to stretch. Ellie rolled her eyes and wished them all goodnight before heading to her room. Morgan went into the kitchen to make himself a doggie bag with the leftovers from dinner, leaving Chuck and Sarah alone in the living room. "That was a good game," Chuck said as Sarah stood from the couch, stretching as well. "I'm glad you had fun. You were… really into it."

Sarah blushed slightly and ducked her head. "I… uh, I have this thing where I get really competitive sometimes," she admitted. Chuck chuckled.

"I noticed," he said. "But it's fine. Morgan gets the same way when the noobs online spawn kill him in Call of Duty." Sarah pretended to know what that meant, nodding once.

"Well, I better get going. It's pretty late and I still have to drive home," she said.

"Let me walk you to your car," Chuck offered. Sarah smiled in acceptance. She bid a goodbye to Morgan and her and Chuck exited the apartment.

"I just wanted you to know that I had a really good time tonight," Sarah told him as they walked past the fountain in the center of the courtyard.

"I'm glad. I did, too. Maybe next time, we'll let you try a little bit of Call of Duty and see how that plays out," Chuck joked. Sarah nudged his shoulder and continued walking. They made it out to the street and arrived at Sarah's parked car.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she got into the sleek black Porsche.

"I'll see you!" Chuck stood by as Sarah pulled out of her spot and drove away. He waited until she turned the corner before he went back inside the complex, only to find Morgan sitting on the edge of the fountain. Chuck joined his best friend and took a seat.

"I was right, man," Morgan said. Chuck simply shot the bearded man a look, silently prompting him to continue. "Sarah's awesome. I mean, she's a little competitive, but that's perfect potential to mold her into a kickass gamer." Chuck smiled at the image of Sarah in sweats and an overly large T-shirt, her blonde hair up in a messy bun, a headset around her head and an X-Box controller in hand as she told off the eleven year old boys who thought they knew everything. "And, you know, despite the yelling and trash talking that went on tonight, she's really funny and really cool. I can see what you like in her." Chuck nodded in agreement. "So, I just wanna tell you, man. Get your head out of your ass and ask her out already! It's obvious that she likes you, too. Why not just go for it?" Chuck sighed.

"I don't know, Buddy," Chuck said. "I mean, look at her. She's beautiful, and funny, and smart, and… Awesome. She's like a female Captain Awesome. Except, she's way more badass. You should see her during dinner service. She's like a beast in the kitchen. Managing to control everything and everyone with a single-worded order or even just a look. It's kind of intimidating and… really hot at the same time. And besides, I don't know what her thoughts are on dating her employees, because, let me remind you, I still work for her. I mean, how awkward would it be if she gave me a raise and we were dating? People will start to talk and gossip and you know how I feel about that kind of stuff."

"Yeah, I know. You hate it."

"I just… Don't want to put all that pressure and everything on Sarah. And besides, we've got a good thing, you know? Just being friends? We can keep things relaxed and we can just enjoy each other's company without the pressures of what's proper etiquette for being in a relationship."

"You make a hard, solid point, my good friend, but you're also missing one very important thing: This is Sarah Freaking Walker! Girls like her don't come our way very often. You'd have to be an idiot to let a woman like that go, and you, Sir, are no idiot. Your Stanford degree can tell you that. So who cares about the gossip and talk? And why would you ever choose _not_ being able to kiss that leggy Valkyrie over getting to kiss her whenever you feel like it? Think about it, Dude. Because you know I'm right." Morgan stood up and walked away backwards, still facing Chuck, pointing at him with his 'you know I'm right' face. When his friend was gone, Chuck went back into the apartment and cleaned the remaining mess and headed to bed, Morgan's words echoing through his head.

* * *

And there you have it! It's a short little piece, I know. But ehhh... Whatevs.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	9. Chuck Versus the Closure

HAPPY END OF THE SEMESTER! LOL I'm sorry I didn't update last week. I was totally planning on it and then finals and anxiety and everything just hit me and I was glued to powerpoint presentations and notes and textbooks. But now that that's done, be ready for this next chapter! :)

 **Disclaimer:** I still don't own Chuck... Which is why I write on here and not for the show itself...

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the Closure**

"So… I'm gonna go drop off the Sandworm to the dry cleaner to see if they can get the ranch dressing stain out from last year," Morgan said to Chuck as he was setting places on the tables for his station. Ever since Sarah had come to an Evening of Morgan nearly a month before, Morgan had been coming to the restaurant more often before opening, claiming that he and the owner were 'cool' to the employees that questioned his presence.

When Chuck asked Sarah if she was okay with it, her response had been, "As long as he doesn't light the place on fire or break anything, I'm fine with it," before turning back to her computer to finish her work.

"I dunno, Morgan," Chuck said as he stood to his full height. "Don't you think it's time for us to retire the sandworm?" Morgan's eyes went wide.

"You've been talking to Ellie, haven't you?" he accused. "Man, Dune fans have loved our costume for _years_!"

"I know, I know," Chuck agreed. "And I've made that point to Ellie every year, but I think it's time for something new, you know? I mean, come on, isn't there any other character you've wanted to be since we were kids?" Morgan nodded slowly to himself, his head wrapping his mind around the endless possibilities for potential costumes. Chuck could practically see the light go off in his friend's head.

"Yeah. Man, you're right! I gotta get on this! There's so much I need to do! How do I decide?!"

"I don't know, Buddy, but I suggest you decide somewhere that's not here. I still have work to do."

"No problem, dude. I'm outta here!" With that, Morgan left the restaurant, his mind in a scramble over who he was going to be for Halloween. Chuck merely sighed in relief. As much as he loved sharing a costume with his best friend, he'd been secretly wanting to retire that costume for a while but never had the heart to break it to his friend. Finally, he'd found a way to get Morgan to agree without starting World War Three: distract him with the knowledge that he could be anything he wanted to be for Halloween.

But, as happy as Chuck was to not have to wear the Sandworm costume for Halloween, he was at a loss. Now, he didn't know what to wear. He'd always had the Sandworm so he never had to worry about finding a good costume, so he was faced with the dilemma of having to come up with a costume in two weeks. And, it had to be a good one seeing as Ellie's Halloween costume party at the courtyard was always a big event with all their friends and everyone always went all out with their costumes. Pushing the thought to the back of his mind as he finished setting places, Chuck made his way to the server room to run a diagnostic check on the software programs. As he reached the hallway that connected the kitchen to the offices, he ran into Sarah.

"Hey!" she greeted with a smile.

"Hey, yourself," he greeted back. "Oh, by the way, I meant to ask… Are you doing anything for Halloween?"

Sarah thought for a second before responding. "Nope. Not that I know of. Why?"

"Well, Ellie throws this huge Halloween costume party every year and I was wondering if you'd like to come."

"Yeah. That sounds like fun. I'd love to. When is it?"

"Awesome! It's on Halloween." Sarah's smile faded. "What's wrong?"

"I can't make it," she answered. "That's a Wednesday. I have to be here. You know, owner? Head chef? Remember that?"

Chuck's smile faded at that realization as well. "Right… You have to do that…"

"I'm sorry. I really want to go."

"No, it's no problem. You've got to do your job, right?"

"Yeah. Sorry again!"

"Don't worry about it." The two parted ways, Chuck to the servers and Sarah to the kitchen.

It wasn't the first time Sarah has had to decline an invite to hang out or come to a dinner because of work. However, Chuck wished that Sarah had more help around the restaurant. He knew she could trust Casey (and even Big Mike) in running the restaurant when she was out. That's what managers were for. But as head chef, Chuck knew that Sarah had difficulty trusting her kitchen to just anyone, especially if she wasn't there. Still, that didn't mean he didn't wish she'd take a break every once in a while. She was working six days a week and she spent her day off teaching him how to cook.

After checking on the diagnostics, Chuck went back out to the front of the house to check on the different stations and on the other servers out there. He was talking to Skip, a server three stations away from his, when the front door to the restaurant opened and two women walked in. The first one was tall, around Sarah's height, but she had brunette hair with blonde highlights. Sunglasses framed her face, hiding her eyes, but the thin line her mouth was set in meant she was here for business. The girl next to her was shorter and blonde. She was wearing sunglasses as well, but her mouth was set in a perky smile.

"So Walker actually did it, huh," the taller brunette said as she took off her sunglasses.

"This is _so_ exciting!" the blonde squealed. Chuck, wondering who they were and what they were doing there, walked over to them.

"Um, excuse me," he said. "But we're currently closed. We'll be open in about two hours. If you'd like to make a reservation, you can do so online at our website."

"We're not here to eat. We're here to see Walker," the brunette told him, eyeing him up and down.

"Zondra, Amy," came Sarah's voice behind Chuck. Chuck spun to see the beautiful blonde walking toward them in her chef's outfit. She came up to stand beside Chuck but made no motion for him to walk away. "What are you doing here?"

"Carina told us you'd started your own restaurant and that it was a big success," Amy explained.

"Yeah, we wanted to see it for ourselves."

"Oh! I'm glad you guys dropped by, but I'm busy right now prepping for dinner service," Sarah said. "Chuck, do you think you can give them a quick tour?" Chuck blinked.

"Uh. Yes, Chef," he said professionally. He figured that was the tone he should go for seeing as how well it went the last time he acted casual around Sarah in front of her friends.

"Thank you. When you're done, come find me." Chuck nodded and watched as she walked back into the kitchen.

"So… Um… That back there is the main foyer," he said, beginning the tour nervously. "This is the main dining hall. We've got balcony seating up those stairs and patio seating that allows for a nice view over the city." Upon seeing the look on Zondra's face, he faltered. "But, you're not that interested in a tour of the front of the house, are you?"

"Not really."

"Right." Chuck clapped his hands together awkwardly. "Well, I guess I can show you the back, specifically the kitchen."

"That would be nice." He nodded and brought them to the kitchen where Sarah and the other prep chefs were hard at work prepping everything for the dinner service. "Still the taskmaster I see," Zondra commented as she took in the scene. "I'm actually impressed, Walker."

Sarah finished dicing the onion she was working on and looked up, briefly glancing at Chuck.

"I have a good team working with me," was all Sarah said. She tapped the prep chef beside her, signaling him to cover her station as well. He nodded in understanding and continued to finish his own work. Sarah wiped her hands down on the towel hanging from her waistband and motioned for Zondra and Amy to follow her to her office. Chuck decided it best that he not follow them and head back into the front of the house to finish opening. About thirty minutes before opening, Zondra and Amy left the way they came in and Chuck made his way into Sarah's office.

"Hey," he greeted hesitantly.

"Hey," Sarah said from her seat.

"So, they were in here for a long time," he noted.

"We were just catching up. It's been years since we last saw each other."

"Well, that's good. Reconnecting with old friends is always a good thing." At the look Sarah shot him, he backtracked. "Or… not? It's not a good thing?" Sarah shook her head in resignation.

"No," she sighed, rubbing her face. "It is a good thing, but Zondra and I don't really get along that well."

"Really? Why not?" Chuck asked taking a seat on the couch.

"It's a long story."

"We got some time to spare," he countered, eyeing the clock. Sarah deadpanned at him before acquiescing.

"We used to be really close. Like. _Really_ close. She was my best friend and roommate back at the CIA. Carina and Amy were roommates and shared the room across from ours. The four of us became very close despite the high competition in our respective departments: Culinary arts for me and Zondra, Baking and Pastry Arts for Amy and Carina. The four of us were inseparable. And, we all managed to move to the top spots of our class. We made a pact to separate our academic careers from our personal relationships and for four years, we managed to do that. Anyways, our senior year. It's tradition for the seniors to compete in a cook-off sort of tournament. It's a pretty big deal as the seniors, who are supposed to be the best, compete to see who gets the top seat in each department. It's got nothing to do with academics, it's just something we did for fun. Some professors and even some old alumni would come back and judge the dishes between the two competitors."

"Like how frat houses sometimes compete to see who's the best frat at their university," Chuck offered as a comparison.

"Yeah," Sarah agreed. "Anyways, In the semifinals, I was up against Zondra and I managed to beat her. It was split, but I had the majority: three out of five of the judges voted for my dish. Anyways, we hugged it out and I thought we were still good. When it came to the finals, I was going up against Heather Chandler. God, I hated her. She always thought she was better than everyone else and made other people feel like crap all the time. The first couple weeks of my freshman year of college, I still had my braces on and my hair was kinda frizzy. Heather took to calling me ugly duckling, like we were in high school still or something. Anyways, some people took to it and people made fun of me. Zondra was actually the one that introduced me to hair product that fixed the mess that years of only using shampoo made.

"Anyways, during the final competition, I realized that Heather was making the same dish I was, ingredient for ingredient, step for step. Except, she'd also had a few extra things that would make her dish better than mine. At the last minute, I was able to adjust some of the recipe for my dish and make it something slightly different, and, in my opinion, better than my original plan. I barely won the finals; it was split but I managed to get the majority by one vote again," Sarah said. "And even though I managed to beat Heather and take the 'top seat,' It still bothered me that Heather knew what my plan was and had chosen to try and beat me by making the same thing I was making, but better. It was just so weird. So, I went back to my dorm and started to look around to see if somehow, Heather had planted some sort of camera or something to try and cheat. I didn't find anything, so I was going to let it go. Then, one day, I was cleaning up the dorm and was picking up Zondra's boots off the ground when I noticed something fall out of one of them. I picked it up and it was a flash drive. I thought it was weird that there would be a flash drive in her shoe so I loaded it up on my computer and saw that the files had copies of notes of the recipes I'd tried and basically everything related to my dish for the cook-off."

"Was it Zondra's? Was she the one who told Heather?"

"She said she didn't and I said we'd let it go, but there are still some bad feelings there. I can't trust her as a friend and she's bitter that I'd even think she'd do it. But, I mean, come on! It was in her boot. You only hide things in shoes if you really don't want people to find it."

Chuck sighed. He opened his mouth to say something but the clock in the corner caught his eye. "We should probably head out there. Five minutes to open." Sarah's head snapped to the clock by her door.

"Oh, my gosh." She stood and headed for the door. Her hand was on the handle when she stopped and turned to look at Chuck with a soft smile. "Thank you, for listening."

Chuck smiled. "Of course. I'm here to listen anytime."

"You really are a great friend." With that, Sarah left and Chuck wanted to bury himself with that last comment. But, he had a job to do, so he sucked it up and made his way out to the servers' station.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The next day found Sarah frustrated. "Dammit," the blonde cursed as she hung up her phone.

"Everything alright?" Chuck asked, having heard her as he walked by her office.

"Ilsa can't make it in today," Sarah said, dropping her phone onto her desk. "Normally, I'd be fine with it, but it's so last minute. Cole is busy taking care of things with his fiancée so he can't come in. Who am I gonna find to cover for her?" Ilsa Trinchina was one of Sarah's sous chefs. Gertrude Verbanski was another and she was currently on vacation so there was no way she could come in.

"Cover for who?" a new voice said. Both Chuck and Sarah looked toward the door to Sarah's office to see Zondra standing there, sans Amy this time.

"Nothing, it's not important," Sarah said. Chuck rolled his eyes. She was just complaining that she needed help and there was help, literally at the door and she was turning it down.

"Sarah's sous chef can't make it in today," he said, earning a glare from Sarah and a smirk from Zondra.

"I'd be happy to help," the brunette offered. Chuck gave an innocent smile to Sarah and she acquiesced.

"Alright."

"Well, I'll let you to discuss that, I've got a job to do," Chuck said ducking out of the office before Sarah could kill him with the look in her eyes.

As Chuck exited the server break room, he was cornered by Zondra. "Uh… Hey, Zondra. Can I help you with anything?" he asked.

"Who are you?" she asked, direct to the point.

"Uhh… Chuck Bartowski," he answered.

"No. I mean to Walker. Who are you to Walker? You her boyfriend or something?"

"N-No. No, I'm not. I just work here."

"I'll pretend I believe that," she said, giving him a once over before walking away. Chuck frowned.

 _What was it with Sarah's friends cornering him and scaring the crap out of him_? he wondered.

"Bartowski!" Chuck snapped back to reality to see Sarah standing at the door to her office, staring him down. _Last name. Not good._

He followed her into her office and she shut the door behind them. "What the hell were you thinking?" she asked, anger laced in her tone. That really scared Chuck. Sarah had never been mad at him before.

"Ummm…"

"I _told_ you about what happened between me and Zondra and yet the next day, you hint for her to come and work here."

"Look, I know you're mad. But, you needed the help. She can help." Sarah opened her mouth to protest but Chuck held up a hand to keep her from interrupting. "I know you have that rocky past, but I really think that this could be a good chance for you get some closure. You know? Talk it out."

"We don't need to talk it out, Chuck. We decided to let it go."

"But you haven't. Not truly. Otherwise you wouldn't be this against her being your sous chef." Sarah grumbled. She knew he was right, deep down. But her pride didn't want to admit it. Chuck stepped close to her and held her upper arms in his hands. "I'm sorry that I did it without making sure you were absolutely okay with it, but I'm not sorry for doing it. Trust me, Sarah. Only good can come from this."

"You better be right," she grumbled before stepping in to hug him. He returned the embrace and chuckled.

"Please, it's me." Sarah pulled back and punched him lightly in the chest.

"Get out." They both laughed and Chuck left the office with a smile on his face, Sarah following shortly after with a similar smile on her face, both not catching the Zondra, watching curiously from the end of the hallway.

When dinner service finally started, the kitchen atmosphere was the same as other nights: slow for a bit before becoming chaotic. That night, however, was different in only one respect: Zondra Rizzo. The brunette Italian-American chef knew how to run a kitchen and she knew how to run a kitchen beside Sarah Walker. They'd done it plenty of times during their time at the CIA. And, even after years later, the two still knew how to work around each other efficiently and effectively. The two complimented each other in the kitchen so well that the chaos that was usually in the kitchen wasn't that chaotic. Things just seemed to run smoother, the food got to the window faster, and everyone was just more focused overall. And, that was saying something considering how focused and efficient the kitchen was without Zondra's presence.

The work ethic in the kitchen was also reflecting in the front of the house as tables were turned over at a much faster rate and the servers weren't waiting around for dishes as often.

Sarah and Zondra themselves were back in the zone together; it was a feeling the both of them hadn't felt in years and honestly, truly missed. It was as though all of the drama and ill feelings between them never happened and they were still two best friends who loved to cook together. There were even several moments during the night where an inside joke or smile was thrown and returned.

By the end of the night, the two were laughing together as they helped clean the kitchen and Chuck, having entered the kitchen with some dirty plates, saw this and smiled. When everything was cleaned and the only people still at the restaurant were Chuck, Sarah, and Zondra. Sarah and Zondra were in Sarah's office and Chuck stayed in his for a bit.

He still stayed back with Sarah to help her run the numbers but with Zondra there, it was a little awkward and complicated, especially with her earlier assumption of them being together, despite how much he wanted it to be true. The last thing he wanted was to show up to Sarah's office only to be further teased by her friend. But, if he wasn't going to stay, then he was going to leave. But, he didn't want to leave. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place and he had to choose one before he ended up spending the night in his office.

He gathered his things and walked the short distance to Sarah's office, knocking lightly onto her already open door. Both women, enjoying glasses of red wine, turned to look at him. "Uhh… I'm heading home," he said.

"Alright," Sarah said, trying to come off nonchalantly, but Chuck knew her well enough to sense that she was disappointed, though he wasn't sure why.

"Unless… You need me for something else?"

"Nope! You're good!" He lifted a corner of his mouth in a half smile and waved goodbye. Sarah returned the wave and he left them.

"Not someone I would have pegged as your type, Walker," Zondra smirked, taking a sip of her wine.

"What are you talking about?" Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Come on. Level with me real quick. He's everywhere."

"He works here."

"You know what I mean. He was the one to greet us when we first walked in."

"He knows that no one should be in the front before opening. All the servers do. He just so happened to be the one to come up to you first."

"And he's always in your office because…?"

"He also takes care of the IT side of things for the restaurant. He has a degree in computer engineering but couldn't find a job. I originally hired him as a server but after I found out about his skills in computers, I also gave him a job as an IT manager."

"That still doesn't answer my question," Zondra noted. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"He was in my office because he was giving me an update on the recent diagnostic run for our servers," Sarah covered.

"Bull. You guys weren't talking about computers when I walked in."

"No. We were talking about how my sous chef couldn't make it in because she'd called in while we were talking," Sarah amended smoothly. Then, a thought occurred to her. "You know what? Why am I even defending myself to you? Chuck is an employee and a friend, nothing more."

"Wow, Walker. I've never seen you so riled up," Zondra pressed. "Not even when you accused me of selling you out to Heather Chandler."

"Are you seriously gonna go there, right now?" Sarah asked. They were doing so well and now she was getting annoyed at that being brought up again.

"Why not? I know you still think I did it. That I betrayed you. Do you want me to take a lie detector test to prove it to you? Or are you just going to keep holding it over me like you have been all these years. It shouldn't even matter. You still won the cook off." That had Sarah fuming.

"It's the principle! You were my best friend! I trusted you! And you tried to sabotage me against Heather Chandler of all people! I found that flash drive in your boot!"

"I'd never even seen that flash drive before you showed it to me!" Zondra answered back, matching Sarah's anger one hundred percent. "Do you really think I'd be so stupid to take back the flash drive that held proof that I betrayed your friendship and hide it in my _boot_? Come on, Sarah. Think! Use that big head of yours! Besides, I was never in the practice kitchen with you when you were prepping for that battle. There's no _way_ I could have known exactly what you were making. And sharing a dorm with you would have made it difficult to hide what I was doing from you, especially since we had that open door policy."

Sarah's anger faded slightly as she listened to Zondra's side of the story. It all made sense, of course. Zondra had said that she didn't want to be her taste tester for her possible recipes because it could potentially be seen as a conflict of interest, seeing as they were both competing in the same tournament, so they decided to keep out of each other's kitchens until the tournament was over. "Well, then, if it really wasn't you, then who was it?" Sarah asked, setting her wine down. Her anger had long dissipated, and all that was left was her desire to finally know the truth.

"Well, since we decided to find other testers, I asked Carina to be mine and she was with me that whole week."

"Right, and I had… Amy," Sarah deduced with realization. "It was Amy? Why would Amy do that?"

"Because I was always the fat kid of the group," Amy's voice cut in from the doorway. "Sure you included me in things, but I was never a first choice for you. It was always Zondra or Carina. You only chose me to be your taster because Zondra had already asked Carina. I was tired of playing fourth fiddle to the _'Great Sarah Walker'_."

"So you decided to sabotage me and blame it on Zondra?" Sarah asked, her anger coming back. "Amy, I was your friend! Just as much as Carina and Zondra were. It was the four of us together! And you tried to tear us apart!" Both Sarah and Zondra had set their glasses down and stood up, staring down the shorter blonde. "Why are you even here? Get out of my restaurant! I don't ever want to see you near here or near me again."

"I came to get Zondra. But, I'll gladly get out of here," Amy shot back. She left, leaving the two former best friends alone. Together, they let out a breath they didn't realize they were holding.

"Oh, my gosh," Sarah breathed. "I can't believe it."

"All those years of silently resenting one another," Zondra agreed. "At least now we know the truth and can finally let go and move on." Sarah nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry," Sarah apologized to her friend.

"Me, too," Zondra replied softly. "Do you think we could maybe… start over?" Sarah smiled.

"I'd like that." The two girls hugged, ready to continue their friendship where it left off. "By the way," Sarah continued once they broke apart. "I'm looking for a co-head chef," she said. "And, honestly, there's no one I'd trust more with my kitchen than you." Zondra smiled. It was a chance at a new beginning for them. A way for them to be close to one another and rekindle their friendship so the spark could grow to the flame it once was. And what better way to revive it than where it began in the first place: the kitchen.

"Well, I'm currently on a break, looking around for new opportunities and, to be honest, that sounds like fun," Zondra said. "Working with you again today… it reminded me of all the fun we had back at the CIA."

"We had a lot of fun then, huh?"

"We can still have a lot of fun here together."

Zondra smiled at the thought. "Yeah. Let's give the west coast a run for its money."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Chuck showed up extra early for work the next day since it was a Saturday and he had to run the software update. No one seemed to be there yet so he let himself in with his key and went straight to his office. Once he got there, he booted up the desktop and ran the security check software – that he programmed himself. As he let that run, he pulled out his own laptop and pulled up the servers' software update – which he also programmed himself. He also pulled out various wires and began hooking up the two computers together, preparing everything for the upload into the system.

The security check had finished and after making sure everything was connected, Chuck clicked the enter key, beginning the update for the servers. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, relaxing. He was just about to nod off when he heard voices on the other side of his closed door. He checked his watch. It was too early still for the prep team to come in, which meant that Sarah was in early as well. She probably wanted to get started on the books before dinner prep began, seeing as she'd been with company the night before. But, that didn't explain the second voice that sounded oddly like Zondra's.

Chuck stood from his chair and made his way over to Sarah's office, knocking at the door. Upon Sarah's, 'Come in,' he opened the door to see Sarah and Zondra sitting on the couch. "Chuck!" Sarah greeted, pleasantly surprised. "What are you doing in so early?"

"It's the third Saturday of the month," he reminded her. "I'm doing the routine software update on the servers."

"Right!"

"What about you? You're here pretty early."

"Yeah. I didn't get a chance to run the numbers last night so I wanted to get started on that and Zondra here offered to help," Sarah explained. Chuck raised a questioning brow, which Sarah responded to with a look in her eye that said, 'we'll talk about it later.'

"Alright. Well, I'll be in my office if you need me." He gave them a quick smile before leaving them alone once more.

"See?" Zondra said with a smirk once the door closed and Chuck was out of earshot. "He's everywhere."

"Because he works here as both the IT department and as a server," Sarah countered. "I told you that last night."

"By the way," Zondra changed the subject. "Thanks again for letting me crash with you. How awkward would it have been if I stayed with Amy after finding out what she'd done."

"It's no problem. You can crash with me until you find a place of your own."

"That shouldn't be too long. I heard that one of the units just down the hall from yours is opening up and I think I'm gonna take it."

"That's great!"

"So, these numbers…" Zondra said.

"Right. The books," Sarah pulled up the page on her database and scrolled through the tables, all the way to the bottom, to account for the time stamps. She quickly explained how to run the numbers and document everything and the two began working immediately. Because of how efficient they were the night before with both Zondra and Sarah running the kitchen, there were way more tables turned and the numbers were significantly higher than they normally were.

"Dang," Zondra said, letting out a breath when they finished. "You are making bank!"

"This is the highest total we've had yet," Sarah agreed. "I'm just glad we had enough to feed everyone and we didn't have to eighty-six anything."

Zondra nodded slowly. "So… Now that that's done… What's our plan? You know, with me working here and all."

Sarah paused to gather her thoughts before speaking. "I was thinking, for the next few days, you could observe, get a feel for the kitchen. We run our kitchens similarly so it shouldn't be much of a shift for everyone else when you step in. From there, as far as scheduling… I've been having to work both in the kitchen and in the office. So, with you here, I know I can trust you to run my kitchen to my standards, leaving me to do everything in the office. And… whenever you want a break or I feel like stepping in the kitchen, you can have a day off or something."

"That sounds good…" Zondra nodded. "Now… What about pay?" she asked with a smirk. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"You'll get paid," she shot back with a similar smirk. It felt good to have her best friend back. Knowing that Zondra wasn't responsible for anything that went on back at the CIA made it easier for them to continue where they left off. It would take a while for the ill feelings to disappear completely, but Sarah knew they could trust one another again and be friends like they used to be. Plus, it was nice to have some extra help around the restaurant. She hated to admit it, but Chuck was right. She did need a break. And, having Zondra around would make her life easier. Plus, it was nice to have another friend around, especially one that was a girl because there were things that she couldn't talk to Chuck about and she wasn't super close with Ellie yet. It was also nice to know someone in LA that she didn't meet through Chuck. Casey – and his family – didn't count because they weren't exactly close in a tell-me-your-feelings kind of way. Their relationship was more of small talk and "remember the time when…"

Zondra was her confidant back at the CIA. They told each other everything. About professors they hated and professor they thought were cute. They had each other's back in and out of the kitchen and having that stripped and put up against each other because of Amy, Sarah felt she had lost a part of herself, which was one of the main reasons why she'd reacted so extremely. With Zondra back and their friendship in tact, Sarah had that missing part of her back.

"Well, I know, after helping you crunch these numbers, that you have enough to pay me well, so I'm not too worried about the amount just yet," Zondra teased. Sarah just rolled her eyes at the good-natured joke and began to put everything away.

"Come on, the prep staff should be here by now. I want you to meet them."

Sarah led Zondra out to the kitchen and introduced her to everyone as her co-head chef. They all exchanged pleasantries and the prep staff introduced themselves individually, giving Zondra a chance to put their names to their faces. Next, Sarah brought her out to the front of the house and introduced her to the wait staff that was scheduled to open. Zondra quirked a brow when Chuck wasn't among the staff members she'd "officially" met.

"Where's Chuck?" she asked Sarah as they made their way back to Sarah's office.

"Probably in the server room doing his job," Sarah rolled her eyes. "Why?"

"Because he wasn't part of the wait staff outside. You said he was also a server here," Zondra reasoned, matter-of-factly. "Plus, he's everywhere."

"He's not _everywhere_ ," Sarah replied, exasperated. "He's not opening today. He's technically not supposed to be in for another hour or so, but since he has things to take care of IT-wise, he's here."

"So, are you gonna introduce me to him? You know, 'officially?'" Zondra smirked.

"Why are you so interested in Chuck anyway?" Sarah asked, hoping the subversion would redirect the conversation enough to where they would tangent away from the topic.

"Because _you're_ interested in him, Walker!" Zondra said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Don't give me that look! It's so obvious! Carina even noticed it. You like Chuck and I just want to see if he's good for you. And, from what I can tell, he's perfect. So my only question is: Why aren't you two together already?" Sarah looked around to see if anyone had heard her friend's outburst before dragging said friend back into the privacy of her office.

"Jeez. Say it a little louder, why don't you? I don't think they heard you in _China_ ," Sarah hissed.

"You're not denying it!" Zondra pointed out.

"Okay, fine! I like Chuck. There. Happy? Can we please be adults now?"

"Fine. But answer my question. Why aren't you two together?" Zondra repeated. So, Sarah told her. She explained how they'd met and how they became fast friends. She told her about the dinner she'd had with them when she ended up spending the night, and what she'd heard Chuck say to Ellie the next morning. She went through everything they'd been through up until that moment and when she finished, Zondra was silent. Sarah waited, wanting to hear what her friend had to say.

"Wow," Zondra breathed out. "That's… a lot to unpack." Sarah remained silent, but nodded slightly in agreement. "But, Sarah. From what I've seen… Between you and Chuck. There's something there. Definitely. I don't know what's going on in his mind exactly, but I do know that the two of you have some kind of connection. Maybe he's the kind of guy that needs a push. And maybe… you just need to give him that push."

"I don't know, Zondra… You know, I've always been able to read people. I could always tell what they're thinking, what they're feeling, even without knowing them. But Chuck… he's different. Whenever I expect him to do one thing, he does the complete opposite. And whenever I think I've got him figured out, he goes and changes the game. But at the same time, he can be so predictable. It's so confusing and frustrating how complex he is and I can't get a read on him," Sarah admitted.

"Wow, Walker. Looks like you've finally met your match," Zondra shook her head in slight disbelief, having been a firsthand witness to Sarah's ability to read people. "But, maybe that's a good thing – not being able to read Chuck. He can keep you on your toes. You know. Element of surprise and spontaneity and whatnot."

"I guess. I just… I don't want to be wrong about this. What if I read him and think he likes me when in reality, he's just really friendly and only sees me as a friend?"

"Well then… I guess it's time for me to play spy, then," Zondra smirked. Sarah's eyes widened.

"Zondra, no!"

"What? I won't make it obvious. Geez. I mean, we did go to the CIA." The brunette winked and left the office, Sarah calling after her.

"That's the _wrong_ CIA, Zondra! We're not spies!" But her attempts were in vain as the brunette had already left.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Chuck managed to catch Sarah alone in her office before open. He knocked on the open door to announce his presence.

"Hey!" Sarah greeted, turning in her chair to look at him. "Come in! Close the door." Chuck did as he was told and sat in his usual spot on the couch. "What's up?"

"Not much. Just wanted to let you know that everything in the front is ready and the IT updates were successful," he said.

"That's great! Thank you, again, Chuck. You are a lifesaver."

"It's my pleasure, you know that." He smiled. "So… Zondra's here again…" he began hesitantly, though there was a slight air of smugness in his tone. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Alright. You were right. It was nice having her around to help. And, I got the closure I was looking for," Sarah admitted. "Turns out, Zondra had nothing to do with the flash drive. Amy planted it to frame her."

Chuck blinked. "What? Seriously? Why?"

"Apparently she was jealous of me and Zondra's friendship and always felt left out when all four of us were together," Sarah shrugged. "It's very dramatic and Hollywood and it's just too much. Anyways, Zondra and I made up and… I hired her."

"You hired her?"

"Yeah. As the regular head chef." Chuck's eyes widened in shock.

"She's gonna run your kitchen?"

"Yeah. I trust her to run the kitchen to my standards and this'll give me more of a chance to focus on the behind the scenes stuff and the work load just gets split so that I have some more free time." Chuck smiled.

"Good!"

"Yeah… So… Tell your sister, yes. I will be at Halloween." Chuck's smile widened from ear to ear, his nose crinkled cutely, and his eyes squinted; he was smiling so hard. It was his signature Chuck Bartowski smile, the one that Sarah knew he'd reserved just for her. Seeing it made her heart flutter and she smiled back.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The night went on as normal, total command in the kitchen by Sarah and meticulous work by the rest of the kitchen staff. Food was moving out of the window and tables were being turned quickly. Zondra stood by, out of the way, watching the whole scene, amazed at the speed everyone was working at. If she didn't already know what Sarah was like in the kitchen before, she would have been blown away. The only time she'd ever seen a kitchen more productive was when they ran it together – even then, she didn't really _see_ it, she just kind of knew what was going on around her and could feel the focused energy from everyone in the kitchen.

Watching Sarah run her kitchen was like watching a conductor run his orchestra. Every dish was like a movement, every chef a musician, the pots, pans, and knives their instruments. It was… incredible.

By the end of the night, the kitchen was already in cleaning mode and Zondra was sure the front of the house was doing the same. "It's awesome, isn't it?" a voice asked from next to her. She turned toward it and found Chuck standing there with awe in his eyes. "I only ever get glimpses of the action in the kitchen when I come in to get plates from the window but it always looks so cool." He turned to her and smiled. "I hear your going to be helping Sarah run the kitchen so she can take care of the office stuff," he said changing the subject abruptly. Zondra, so caught of guard, merely nodded. "I'm glad. Sarah works hard six of the seven days a week and she spends her one day off in the kitchen, teaching me how to not burn things. She never gets a solid break and she never complains about any of it. She truly is an amazing person, inside and out. Aside from that, I'm glad she has another friend out here in LA. With all the work she does, she doesn't really have anyone to hang out with unless either my sister or myself invite her out, and even then, half the time she can't go because she's working." He paused for a second to gather his thoughts before continuing, "I'd never speak for Sarah, but I think that having a friend that's not through me around will really help her feel at home here in LA. So thank you." With that he turned to look back at the action in the kitchen. Zondra, however, kept her eyes on the man standing beside her.

Listening to him talk about Sarah and his concern – a concern she was sure Sarah had no idea about – Zondra knew that Chuck was just as far gone as Sarah was for him. _So, why weren't they together?_ That was the real question. She saw a shift in his eyes, like they got brighter, like his eyes themselves were smiling even if his face was still neutral. She followed his line of sight and saw Sarah taking her cap off her head, her hair slightly disheveled, a sheen of sweat coating her forehead. It was the classic look of a chef that just ended a heavy rush. Not at all flattering – for men and women alike. But Chuck was looking at her like she just stepped onto the red carpet for the Oscars and just made E!News' Best Dressed list.

Right then, Zondra knew. She vowed to herself that she was going to do whatever she could to get those two together. Not only for their sake, but for hers, too. If she had to sit in the middle of the 'will they, won't they' bit for long, she would go crazy.

* * *

And there you have it!

Can I just say that I love Sarah and Zondra's relationship so much more than Sarah and Carina's. IDK why, I just do. I mean, we only _really_ had one episode with Zondra and her and Sarah spent most of it hating each other. But I just figured that if they resented each other that much, then they had to have been really close for a betrayal to tear them apart that much. *shrugs*

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Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	10. Chuck Versus the Day Off

Hello! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I bet you guys have been looking for this update. Well, here it is!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Chuck, but I do have the DVDs on my shelf. :)

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the Day Off**

"I'm telling you, just ask her out," Zondra repeated for what felt like the umpteenth time. Since she'd started working at _Il Castello_ she'd gotten a lot closer to Chuck Bartowski. She could see what Sarah saw in him. He was nice, caring, considerate, funny, smart, and honestly, a little cute. But he was Sarah's and Zondra knew that, understood that, respected that, and wanted more than anyone for it to be official. So, she'd been spending the days that Sarah was off, but Chuck wasn't, to convince the man to get his head out of his ass and ask her friend out on a date.

"And I'm telling you, Zondra, it's a lot more complicated than that," Chuck countered. Zondra rolled her eyes.

"What's so complicated about it? You like her; she likes you. That's it. You're act like you're in middle school or something."

"Why do you care so much that I ask Sarah out, anyway?" Chuck suddenly asked, turning to face her.

"I just do! Okay? Sarah deserves to be happy and I really think that you're that guy."

Chuck paused, thinking about what Zondra was saying. "You really think I would make her happy?"

"More than a new knife set," Zondra affirmed, joking about the comparison, but knowing that Chuck understood the truth about her statement. "I'm telling you, Chuck. Do it. Just ask her."

Chuck paused again, thinking about his chances. "We'll see. Because I know the two of you are friends, but hearing something from you and getting that feeling like I know I'm sure from her is two different things. Does that make sense?"

Zondra rolled her eyes. "Annoyingly, yes."

"Great. Now, I have to finish working on this and you need to check on the kitchen staff."

"Ugh. Fine." Zondra got up from her seat and headed for the door of Chuck's office/server room. Zondra left and Chuck finished up his work on the computers before heading out to open the front of the house.

As he finished up the last table of his section, he caught a glimpse of familiar blonde hair. He set the tray of linen napkins and silverware down, and rushed after Sarah, catching up to her once she was already in her office. "Hey!" he greeted as he entered the room. Sarah spun.

"Hey, Chuck!" Sarah greeted back.

"I thought today was your day off?" Chuck stated.

"What, you like it better when I'm not here?" she countered, teasing him. As she expected, Chuck's eyes widened in shock.

"What?! No! I didn't say that! I never said that! I just wanted to know, cause you know, you deserve your days off and… you're totally messing with me. I can't believe it. You do it all the time and I still can't figure it out," he said, feigning exasperation.

"I'm sorry, it's just too much fun," Sarah admitted. "But yeah, it is my day off. I just came by to pick up my phone charger. I left it here last night and my phone is nearly dead."

"Ahhh. I see," Chuck nodded. "So you're heading out again?"

"Yup."

"What exactly do you do on your day off?"

"What?"

"Your day off. What does Sarah Walker do on her day off?" Sarah blinked, as though surprised at the question. "And don't tell me you try out recipes in your apartment." Sarah's cheeks tinged red slightly and Chuck gasped. "Seriously?! You test recipes on the day you're supposed to relax?"

"Testing recipes _is_ relaxing!" she protested. At Chuck's look, she crossed her arms defiantly.

"I'm going to show you a proper day of relaxing," Chuck announced. "I'd like to call in today." Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? And who's gonna cover your shift?"

Chuck held up a finger and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through his contacts and made a call. "Hey! I need you to do me a favor. Something came up and I need you to cover my shift… Yeah? … Cool! Thanks dude! I owe you one!" He hung up.

"There. Skip is going to cover for me." Sarah smirked.

"Alright, Mr. Smarty Pants. Your shift's covered. Now what?"

"Now, I get my stuff and we get out of here." After a quick stop in Chuck's office to get his backpack, they made their way out to the parking lot. "Meet me at my place," Chuck said.

Sarah nodded in agreement, and they both got into their respective cars, driving the short distance to the apartment complex.

"So what will we be doing today," Sarah asked once they were inside Casa Bartowski. Chuck shut the door behind them and placed his keys in the ceramic bowl by the door.

"Absolutely nothing," he said, releasing a deep sigh as he sunk into the couch. Sarah held back the twitch at the corner of her mouth that threatened to morph into a smile.

"Nothing?" she asked.

"Not. A. Thing," Chuck confirmed. "Maybe we'll watch a movie, or play video games. Maybe I'll order a pizza. Who knows? But we aren't going to worry about a single thing today. We're not going to work on anything productive unless that productive thing happens to be a movie marathon, completing video game objectives, or ordering something to eat."

"Is that so?"

"Absolutely."

Sarah kicked off her sneakers and joined Chuck on the couch. "And you never get bored, just doing nothing?"

"As they say: 'Boredom is a choice,'" he answered with a smirk.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Two hours later, Chuck and Sarah still on the couch, having watched _Star Wars: A New Hope._ The coffee table had an empty box of pizza, half vegetarian, no olives, half meat lovers supreme and three bottles of beer, one from Sarah, two from Chuck. "That was a good movie," Sarah said.

"One of the best of all time," Chuck agreed. "Should I put in the next one?"

"How about we go out?" Sarah offered. As much as she enjoyed the movie and getting to spend some alone time with Chuck, she was getting antsy. She had to go out and do something. Be active some way. But the look on Chuck's face told her he wasn't to fond of that idea, especially when they were supposed to be spending the day not being productive. "Not even for some frozen yogurt?" she tried. Chuck seemed to think about it for a second before nodding, a wide grin on his face.

"Yeah. I could use some frozen yogurt. There's an Orange Orange just down the road," he said. He got up and gathered his keys, phone, and wallet, ready to go. Sarah wanted to roll her eyes at how childish Chuck was acting, but he was just so endearing.

They got into Chuck's car and he drove them to the Buy More Plaza where the Orange Orange was. When he parked, they got out, entered the store, and stood in line for the counter. There were quite a few people there. It wasn't packed, it being an autumn afternoon, but it was still warm enough outside for frozen yogurt so there were quite a few people there. "What are you gonna get?" Chuck asked, glancing at the various flavor labels above the machines behind the counter.

"I'm not sure. I'm thinking between Obama Guava or Classic Tart," Sarah said. "What about you?"

"Well, I always get the–"

"Sarah Walker?" a voice sounded from behind Chuck, interrupting his sentence. The pair turned to see a man standing at the door. He had jet black hair, was just about Sarah's height, maybe a little taller, and blue eyes that seemed to pierce right into your soul. "Is that really you? Oh, my gosh. I can't believe my luck!" Chuck looked between Sarah and this mystery man, trying to figure out how they new each other. He winced. _Mystery man_. He didn't like the sound of that in his head.

"Bryce?" Sarah eyes went wide as she realized who was standing in front of her. Bryce went in for a hug and Sarah awkwardly returned it. "What are you doing in Los Angeles?" she asked.

"I'm on vacation. Thought I'd drop by your new restaurant, but you weren't there so I decided to explore the area and I saw this place and thought I'd drop in and try some frozen yogurt." Chuck heard Sarah mumble something under her breath but he couldn't quite understand it.

"What are the chances?" Sarah said in a normal, cheerful voice, that Chuck could tell was forced. "This is Chuck, by the way," Sarah changed the subject, introducing him.

"Chuck, huh? That's quite the name," Bryce said with an amiable smile. Chuck wasn't sure, however, if he meant it as a compliment or an insult.

"Ha! Thanks. I'm gonna go order while you two catch up," he said.

"Surprise me?" Sarah asked, referring to her order.

"You got it!"

As soon as Chuck moved to stand in line, Bryce ushered them to a table and they sat down. "Listen, Sarah," he began. "The real reason I'm here is because I want to give us another chance."

"Seriously?" Sarah challenged, disbelievingly of his explanation. Rather than back down, Bryce took her hands in his and looked into her eyes.

"Absolutely, Sarah," he said. "I messed up. I made a mistake. I took what we had for granted and I regret it everyday. But I realized that and I want to make it right. I want to give us a chance again." Sarah didn't know what to say, but as she opened her mouth to speak, Chuck showed up with three cups in his hands.

"So, I tasted the Obama Guava and figured you'd like the original tart better," he said, completely oblivious to the conversation. Sarah took the moment Chuck was distracted, juggling the cups to pull her hands away from Bryce. "And since we're relaxing today, I got you some gummy worms, mochi balls, and because I know you love them so much, blueberries." He handed the cup to Sarah, then turned to Bryce.

"I, uh… don't know what you would have wanted so I got you a store favorite. It's strawberry cheesecake with graham crackers, strawberries, and gummy bears. Bryce blinked up at the taller man and accepted the cup.

"Thanks, dude," he said, unsure of what to think about this other man.

"No problem," he said with a friendly smile. "Anything for a friend of Sarah's." Chuck pulled up a seat and sat, enjoying his own frozen yogurt.

It seemed like Chuck's presence derailed Bryce's attempt to get back together, and the two boys had quickly found something in common: movies. Sarah rolled her eyes. Bryce loved to watch movies, that much she knew, but they'd barely ever had movie nights together, not like with her and Chuck.

Listening to the boys' conversation – they were talking about their favorite movie trilogies – Sarah found herself listening more to Chuck's end of the conversation, wanting to know more about his likes and dislikes. She caught glances from Bryce, his eyes searching to see if she was paying attention to him. Once their yogurt was finished, there wasn't much keeping them at the shop so the trio said their goodbyes and Chuck and Sarah were on their way back to the apartment.

Chuck was silent during the car ride, focusing on the road. Sarah, on the other hand, wished that he would say something just to get her mind off of seeing Bryce again. It was her fault after all. She was the one who wanted to leave the apartment. But what were the odds that Bryce just so happened to be at the exact same Orange Orange that they went to? Nearly zero! He was supposed to be in _Italy_ for Christ's sake!

"So you know Bryce from the CIA?" Chuck asked. Sarah wanted to face palm. Of course she wishes for Chuck to talk and the first thing he talks about is Bryce.

"Uhh… No. We worked together in Italy," she said, not wanting to go into their relationship.

"That's nice! I guess it was a good thing that we went out, huh? Otherwise you guys wouldn't have seen each other," Chuck said, apparently blissfully ignorant of the tension that was so obvious between her and Bryce.

"Uh… Yeah."

"Maybe you'll even give him a job at the restaurant," Chuck said with a smirk. Sarah blinked, not understanding his meaning.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she challenged, an edge in her voice.

Chuck's eyes widened. "What? No. That's not what I meant! I just meant that whenever your old friends come to visit, they end up working at the restaurant for a day!"

Sarah thought about it for a second. "That is true, isn't it?" Chuck wisely kept his mouth shut. "Well, that won't happen this time. I can be sure of that."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Sarah walked into work the next day recharged and relaxed. Despite the short hiccup the day before, running into Bryce at the Orange Orange, her day with Chuck was one of the best she'd ever had, even if they'd spent it doing absolutely nothing productive. There weren't many people in the restaurant just yet, only one or two members of the kitchen staff and John Casey, who was over looking some of the efficiency reports. She walked into her office and was surprised and annoyed – mostly annoyed – to see Bryce Larkin sitting on her couch, specifically, sitting in Chuck's spot on her couch. He stood with his classic boyish smile on his face. "There you are," he said. "Now, we're finally alone and we can talk properly."

"There's nothing to talk about, Bryce," Sarah countered.

"Come on, Sarah, you know that's not true." He walked up to her. Using one hand, he pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. "I still love you, Sarah. And I know you still love me." He leant in and kissed her. She kissed him back for two reasons: the first was because Bryce knew how to push Sarah's buttons just enough to get her to respond and the second being that she wanted to see if she felt the spark she felt whenever her and Chuck touched. She was pleased to find that, no, she did not get that feeling kissing Bryce. In fact, it was so new to her when she felt it with Chuck that she didn't think she ever felt it with Bryce.

Meanwhile, Chuck had just gotten to the restaurant and was heading toward Sarah's office. Their day yesterday had really boosted his confidence with Sarah. He felt that if he asked her out, she would say yes. There was no doubt about it in his mind. So, the first thing he wanted to do was ask her out for dinner. _A date with Sarah Walker,_ he thought to himself, giddy at the idea. He was about to knock on the door but found it opened just enough to peek through. If she was busy, he would just come back later.

He was surprised to see Bryce in there as well, standing close to Sarah, his hands holding hers. "I still love you, Sarah. And I know you still love me," the man said before leaning and kissing her. Chuck's heart stopped when he saw Sarah kiss him back. They weren't just old friends from Italy, they were… he didn't know what. Were they exes and trying to rekindle an old flame? Were they still together? Either way, he knew his chance was blown. Silently, he backed away from the door and went into his office to try and gather his emotions and calm down.

When they pulled away, Sarah took a step back.

"I'm sorry, Bryce, but I just don't feel the same," she said.

Bryce looked down. "It's that guy you were with, isn't it?" he asked. Sarah did nothing to either confirm or deny that statement. "I figured, with the way you were so focused on him yesterday. You never looked at me like that, not even when we were together. I always thought it was because you just weren't good with sharing your feelings. But, I guess I just wasn't the person you were meant to share your feelings with. I do hope we can still be friends." Sarah nodded.

This was a whole new side of Bryce. The Bryce she knew back in Italy was confident, almost to the point of arrogance, suave and unapologetic. That Bryce took what they had for granted and that ultimately broke them up. This Bryce standing in front of her was the complete opposite; he was humble and sorry for the way things ended between them. "I'd love to be friends," she said.

Bryce smiled. "I'm glad." He stood there awkwardly and wiped his palms on his pants. "Well, I should get going." With that, he was out of Sarah's office. After checking up on the logs and work in her office, Sarah went into the kitchen to check on the prep staff.

"Hey, Zondra," she greeted.

"Hey, Walker," the brunette replied. "How was yesterday?"

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "It was fine… Why do you ask?" she stepped closer to avoid eavesdroppers

"Well, after you made your brief appearance, Chuck disappeared and we didn't see him for the rest of the night," she smirked. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Chuck and I did spend the day together, yesterday, _but_ only because he wanted to show me the 'proper' way to relax." At that, Zondra raised a suggestive brow. Sarah smacked her friend lightly on the shoulder.

"You're disgusting," she laughed. "We watched movies and ate take out."

"But you still spent the day together," Zondra insisted. "How was it?"

Sarah shrugged. "It was… nice," she replied lamely, unable to come up with a good enough word to explain the happiness she felt just by being around Chuck.

"That's it? Just nice?" Zondra pressed.

"I don't know; it's hard to explain!"

"Well, there's Mr. Relaxation now, Chuck!" Zondra called out. The tall man look toward them, gave a small smile and kept on his way. Zondra tilted her head in confusion. "That's weird, he usually comes over and talks nonstop about you." Sarah smacked her friend on the arm again. Zondra laughed. "Okay, he doesn't just talk about you, but he usually comes over."

"Maybe he's just busy," Sarah noted. "You know, like every other employee here?"

"Yeah, yeah. Go talk to him, would you? He's the one that keeps the wait staff on top of things."

"What about Big Mike?"

"He keeps everything running smoothly out there, sure, but Chuck keeps the balance coming in and out of the kitchen."

"Huh. I never noticed that."

"I probably never would have either if I didn't spend those few days observing everything. The kitchen gets so chaotic that it's really easy to miss."

"I'll talk to him. Make sure he's all right."

Sarah found Chuck setting places in his section. "Hey, Chuck!" she greeted as she came up to him. He turned to her with a smile on his face, though it wasn't as bright as it normally was.

"Hey, Sarah. What's up?"

"Not much. I just wanted to thank you for yesterday; it was very relaxing." Chuck nodded.

"I'm glad," he replied, continuing to set places as he talked to her. Another thing Sarah noticed. Chuck usually stopped whatever he was doing when he talked to her.

"Are you okay, Chuck?" she asked. "You seem a little off today."

He shook his head no. "I'm fine. Just a little tired. Morgan and I had a late night gaming session after you left."

"Ahh… I see. Well, if you need to take a nap after you finish setting places, you can use the couch in my office."

"I ahh, I should be fine. I'll grab a RedBull from my bag later." Sarah frowned, her nose wrinkling cutely.

"I really wish you'd stop drinking that. It's not good for you."

"To each their own."

"But really, take a nap or something."

"I'll think about it," Chuck replied noncommittally. Sarah, feeling thoroughly rebuffed, conceded and left Chuck to his devices, returning to her office.

Chuck was acting really weird. It was a complete one-eighty from how he was yesterday. They were joking and laughing and he listened to everything she said with one hundred percent attention. She returned the favor, of course, by listening to everything he had to say, and he had plenty to say – but it was never a chore, listening to Chuck talk. She enjoyed it, in fact. But, today, it was as though he wanted to get rid of her. Did he not enjoy yesterday as much as she did? No, that couldn't be it. Chuck wore his heart on his sleeves and his emotions were so clear on his face that it was nearly impossible for him to hide what he was feeling when he felt something so strongly. That left Sarah right back where she started: totally and completely confused about what Chuck was feeling. _What else was new?_ she thought to herself sarcastically. She did, however, have a new problem: why was Chuck giving her the cold shoulder?

He hated lying to Sarah, he really did. But what could he tell her? _No, I'm not fine. I just saw you kissing that guy from the yogurt shop from yesterday. And to make it even worse, I saw you do it right before I was going to ask you out on a date!_ Nope. That wasn't gonna happen at any point during his lifetime. Maybe he and Sarah really were meant to just be friends. Sighing, he trudged to his office, maybe he'd hide out there for a bit and then tell Sarah that he fell asleep in his office chair. It was comfortable enough and he'd done it before.

No bueno. As soon as he shut his door behind him, it reopened and in walked Zondra – well, more like charged – in charged Zondra. "Dude, what's wrong with you?" she asked.

"What?"

"I would have thought that a whole day with Sarah would make you as happy as a fat kid in a cake shop," she said. "But instead, you look like someone kicked your puppy. What's the matter?"

"It's nothing."

"Bullshit. Tell me. I'm on your side, remember?" Zondra reminded him. It was like she wanted him and Sarah to get together more than they did themselves.

Chuck sighed. "You can't tell Sarah." He waited for her nod of confirmation. "At the risk of sounding like the middle schooler you constantly accuse me of being… I saw Sarah kissing Bryce."

"Who the hell is Bryce?" Zondra frowned, confused.

"Apparently some _friend_ of hers from Italy. I was going to ask her out on a date, but when I got to her office, I saw Bryce kiss her and she kissed back."

"Ouch…" Zondra said. "You did sound like a middle schooler." Chuck gave her a look. "Oh, come on. I'm trying to cheer you up!"

"Yeah. Not helping."

"I'm sorry, but you can't give up, Chuck! I keep telling you that Sarah likes you! But for some reason, you don't seem to believe me."

"And how can I? Especially now!"

"You're doing that whole self-deprecation thing again. Stop! I've said it many times before but-"

"Get your head out of your ass, I know," Chuck finished.

Zondra softened at the defeated look on Chuck's face. "Look, I've got to get back to work, but seriously, Chuck, fight for her. It will get better."

Zondra left Chuck in his office and went into Sarah's to find her sitting on her office chair, a look of deep concentration on her face. "Hey," she said, startling Sarah back to reality.

"Hey, Zondra, what's up?" Sarah asked once she got her bearings.

"Nothing much, I forgot to mention this earlier, but some guy was here yesterday looking for you," she said. It was a wild guess that the guy and this Bryce character were the same person, but it seemed a reasonable conclusion, and she needed a way to get Sarah to talk about this mystery man.

Sarah winced. "Yeah. That's Bryce. He… uh. He's my ex. We were together back in Italy, but things ended pretty badly and he wanted to get back together."

"Is that so?" Zondra wondered. "So, you talked to him? And are you back together?"

"We ran into each other at a frozen yogurt shop yesterday and then he was here in my office this morning when I showed up. But, no, we're not back together."

"You're hiding something," Zondra said. Sarah was actually doing a good job of hiding the fact that she was hiding something, and Zondra probably wouldn't have guessed it if she didn't already know. "Tell me."

Sarah hesitated a bit before answering. "We kissed." Zondra, pretending she didn't already know that, widened her eyes.

"You what? What about Chuck?"

"Chuck has nothing to do with it. Well. Maybe a little," Sarah said. "But that's not why I kissed Bryce back."

"Then why did you?" Zondra asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I wanted to see if I still felt something. And after we kissed, I realized that I didn't. There was no spark or feeling, or anything like that. Not like when I just hold Chuck's hand or our shoulder or legs press against each other when we sit close enough, there's like this electrical surge between us. None of that happened when I kissed Bryce, and to be honest, I don't think it ever did." Zondra narrowed her eyes.

"So, you're telling me, that in some twisted, weird way, kissing Bryce helped you confirm your feelings for Chuck?"

"As crazy as it sounds, yes."

"Do you think that Chuck saw you kissing Bryce? Maybe that's why he's acting all weird today?" she asked, pretending to deduce Chuck's behavior to what Sarah just told her. Sarah's eyes widened.

"Do you think that's possible?"

"I mean, it seems likely," Zondra reasoned. "Why else would he act all quiet and pouty?"

"Should I talk to him again?"

"Maybe not, you know, since you just talked to him. But just the small actions, you know to affirm that there's nothing going on between you and Bryce," Zondra suggested. "Chuck seems like the kind of guy that needs the extra reassurance, especially around guys like Bryce."

Sarah nodded, understanding what Zondra was saying. Chuck had a tendency to shrink into himself whenever another guy tried to hit on her when they went out together. It was like he had no confidence in himself; but, when it was just the two of them, he was his usual funny, quirky self that she found so endearing. She decided that she needed to do what she could to make it clear to him that he was the one she liked, not anyone else, as well as see if he was still interested in her.

During dinner service, Sarah watched over both the front and back of the house, visiting with guests and helping around the kitchen where there was a slight slack. Things were running smoothly up until around seven o'clock, when Bryce walked in and, as luck would have it, was seated in Chuck's section.

"Hello, Sir," Chuck greeted, unaware of who was sitting at the table as the menu was blocking his view of the patron's face. "Welcome to _Il Castello._ My name is Charles and I will be your server today. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Your finest bottle of red," Bryce replied, setting down the menu. The man smiled, having recognized Chuck. "You're that guy from the yogurt shop, aren't you?" he mused. Chuck seemed to have frozen in shock but quickly recovered.

"Yes, sir."

"Ahh… So you work here?" Chuck cleared his throat.

"I do." Bryce didn't say anything after that, only nodding his head with an amused smile on his face. Feeling uncomfortable, Chuck excused himself. "I'll go and get that bottle of wine for you." As Chuck disappeared toward the back of the room, Sarah made her way over to her ex.

"Bryce, what are you doing here?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She took care to keep her voice low so as not to draw the attention of nearby patrons.

"I'm here to enjoy a nice dinner," he replied with his boyish smirk. Sarah deadpanned.

"I'm serious."

Bryce dropped his façade and became serious for a second. "I know things aren't gonna work out for us, but I wanted to make sure that this guy is good for you."

Sarah nearly blew her top. "What the hell?" she hissed. "You have no right to do that! What I do now is not your concern!"

"Come on, Sarah. Why you gotta be like that?"

"No, I know why you're really here. You wanted to see if you could compete with Chuck. To see if you still had a chance. Let me tell you now. You don't. So quit with the immature games."

"Immature games?" Bryce raised an eyebrow. "I'm being a good friend, making sure that my _friend_ is with a good person. Isn't that what friends do?"

"I already got people who have made that judgment, not that it's any of your business, thank you very much," Sarah retorted. "You can enjoy your dinner, but just so you know, whatever your opinion on Chuck is, it won't matter."

With that, Sarah turned to head back to her office. On her way there, she ran into Chuck, who was carrying a bottle of wine. "What is that?" Sarah asked, noting that it was one of their best.

"One of the patrons ordered it," he answered.

"Was it Bryce?" she asked. He nodded in confirmation. She took the bottle from him and walked back to the wine rack, Chuck on her heels. "Don't waste a good bottle on him. Give him this one." Chuck stared at the cheaper bottle of Merlot Sarah handed to him.

"Are you sure?"

"He can't tell the difference." Chuck blinked, confused at the tone Sarah was using; she sounded like she couldn't stand the guy… But… _Weren't they together?_ Chuck wondered to himself. "And Chuck?" He snapped back to reality.

"Yeah?"

"Don't listen to Bryce, okay? Just do your job and don't take anything he says personally," she advised.

"Uh… Okay." Sarah gave him an encouraging smile and walked away, leaving Chuck even more confused than ever. He went back out and continued to serve the various patrons in his station until the end of the night.

When his shift ended, he went into his office to gather his things. As he packed up his backpack, there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" he called out. The door opened and Sarah walked in.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Oh, hey Sarah," he greeted back, doing his best to act as though there was nothing wrong because there really wasn't. They weren't together and Sarah had the right to be with whomever she wanted. If that wasn't him, it wasn't her problem. He just needed to learn how to deal with that. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," she replied with a shrug. "Just wanted to see how you were doing. You, uh, didn't look very comfortable serving Bryce." Chuck gave a shrug of his own.

"It was a little weird. But, if you and I are going to be friends, I guess I have to get along with your boyfriend," he said. Sarah cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Boyfriend? Chuck, Bryce isn't my boyfriend," she clarified. That left Chuck confused.

"What? But I saw you guys kissing in your office." Sarah flinched at that.

"You did?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"No. Bryce was trying to get back together with me, but I told him no."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well, now I feel awkward," Chuck chuckled, effectively breaking the awkwardness when Sarah giggled at him.

 _So Bryce and Sarah weren't together_ , Chuck thought to himself as he and Sarah walked out to their respective cars, chatting normally. Maybe he still had a chance.

* * *

Phew! Man... that was a close one. Geez... When will those two get together already?! Oh wait... I already know. Y'all don't. Teehee.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	11. Chuck Versus the Parents

Hello! This is the first post for the new year! So, Happy New Year! I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Chuck, as much as I wish I did.

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the Parents**

"Hey Sarah, Zondra," Chuck called out to the two women who were chatting in the kitchen. It was Sunday, so the restaurant was closed, but Chuck and Sarah still had their weekly lessons. Zondra popped in from time to time to give some input or taste Chuck's food. Normally, he would have been annoyed at having a third body interrupting his and Sarah's time, but Zondra was more of a wing man than a cock block when she was around so he was okay with her being there. Besides, she was Sarah's friend and the two of them had a lot to catch up on after years apart.

"Hey, Chuck," they both greeted as he approached them.

"Hey, so… I have something to ask you two before we get started today," he began hesitantly.

"What is it, Chuck?" Sarah queried.

"Ellie is hosting her annual Thanksgiving dinner and she wanted me to invite you ladies," he told them.

"Yeah! I love Ellie's cooking!" Zondra agreed immediately. She and Ellie had met shortly after Halloween at a Bartowski dinner party and really hit it off.

"Awesome! Sarah?" He looked over at the blonde to see her bite her bottom lip nervously.

"I can't," she said.

"What? Why not?" Both Chuck and Zondra whined. Zondra may or may not have thrown in a "Booo!" as well.

"My parents are coming into town and I've already made plans to spend Thanksgiving with them," she explained. Chuck blinked. _Sarah's parents?_

"So bring them!" Zondra offered. "I'm sure Ellie won't mind!"

"Chuck?" Sarah called his name to get his attention. He snapped back to reality.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah! Ellie would love it if your parents could join us!" he said once he caught up with the conversation.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely!" Chuck affirmed.

"Great!" Zondra exclaimed. "Now that that's settled, let's get to cooking!"

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

A whole week had passed and Sarah and Zondra were waiting by the domestic flights baggage claim at LAX, waiting for Sarah's parents to appear. "You excited?" Zondra asked.

"Not sure. I haven't seen them since the CIA," Sarah admitted.

"Seriously?"

"Yup. They moved to Oregon not long after I got accepted into the CIA. I visited them every now and again but once I moved to Italy, we still talked on the phone and whatnot, but we haven't had the time to actually meet up."

"Well, at least you're meeting now. That's a start." Sarah just nodded, using the guise of looking for her parents as a way to end the conversation, as well as a distraction. Then, suddenly, a couple, clearly in their mid to late forties, appeared at the bottom of the elevator and Sarah immediately recognized them. Smiling, Sarah walked up to the older couple. "Mom, Dad," she greeted, giving them hugs.

"Sarah," they sighed contentedly.

"My goodness, you've gotten so big. I can't believe it's been what, three years," her Mom marveled.

"It's been too long, Darlin'," her dad agreed. "Now, why didn't you visit us more often?"

"I lived on the other side of the world, dad. I've been busy," Sarah replied sheepishly. "But now I'm on the West Coast so I can visit you guys more often and vice versa." They walked back to where Zondra was waiting, but the baggage claim carousel. "You guys remember Zondra from culinary school, right?"

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Walker," Zondra smiled. "It's good to see you again."

"You, too, Zondra," Emma greeted warmly. "How have you been?"

"I've been good. And you?"

"Oh, you know, the usual, work keeps us busy."

"So…" Jack turned to Sarah, as they got their bags from the carousel. "I can't wait to see this restaurant of yours."

"Oh, yes. I've heard so many things about your restaurant," Emma added, joining their conversation.

"We're closed today since it's Sunday, but we can head over and I can give you guys a tour and Zondra can make you guys a full course meal," Sarah offered. "She's our other head chef, aside from me, of course."

"Now, that sounds just fantastic," Jack exclaimed. After they'd gathered Jack and Emma's things, Sarah and Zondra brought them out to the car. Since Sarah's Porsche was a two-seater and Zondra rode a motorcycle, she'd rented a car for them to use, plus, it'd be good for her parents to have their own car if Sarah needed to be somewhere.

Sarah's parents sat in the back seat while Sarah and Zondra sat up front. "Does Chuck know your parents are in today?" Zondra asked quietly.

Sarah nodded. "Yeah. He won't be at the restaurant anyway, Ellie is apparently in 'Hurricane Ellie' mode – whatever that is – and has him running around Burbank on various errands."

Since Bryce's appearance a week before, Sarah had spent a lot of time with Chuck, trying to raise his confidence in their slowly (very slowly) forming relationship. She absolutely did not want to start a relationship with insecurities. She wanted Chuck to know that if they were to be in a relationship together, she was going to be one hundred percent in. But, she couldn't very well tell him that – he probably wouldn't believe that – so she had to show him. And, it wasn't hard to show him. Whenever they'd hung out, she'd sit a little closer, hover around him a little longer, maintain physical contact with him a bit more. She hoped that he was getting the message.

"So, Darlin'," Jack began from the backseat. "You never did tell us what our plans for Thanksgiving were."

"Oh! Umm… We'll actually be joining a friend of mine and his family," Sarah said. "They have a party every year and invite all their close friends."

"Is that so?" Emma asked. "Who is this friend?" There was a hint of suggestiveness in her mother's tone. One that Sarah did not like. She really hoped that her parents weren't going to start lecturing her on how she should be looking for a guy. One of the reasons why she'd lessened the amount of times she'd talked to her parents was that they always asked her about her love life. Before Bryce, it was, 'Why haven't you found someone yet?' and when she was with Bryce, it was, 'When are you guys going to take the next step?' or 'When do we get to meet this guy?' Don't get her wrong, Sarah loved her parents and she loved that they cared. She just wished that they cared a little less about who she was dating.

"His name is Chuck," Sarah said not sure if she should regret telling that to them. "We met at work."

"Charlie, huh?" her dad said, testing out the name. "Sounds like a Schnook to me." Sarah rolled her eyes, shooting a look at Zondra.

"It's Chuck, and he's not a schnook, daddy. He's very sweet and kind."

"He's a total schnook, Mr. Walker," Zondra smirked. Sarah smacked her friend's arm.

"Well, I'm sure we'll like Sarah's boyfriend well enough," Emma commented. Sarah felt her face go red.

"We're not together," Sarah protested. "We're just friends."

"For now," Zondra muttered just loud enough for Sarah to hear. Sarah shot Zondra a look before turning her attention back to the road in front of her.

They soon pulled up to _Il Castello_ 's parking lot and all four of them climbed out. "Welcome to _Il Castello_ ," Sarah announced as they walked up to the front doors. She unlocked the door and they stepped inside.

Sarah gave them the grand tour of the front of the house and moved to the kitchen. There, she pulled out some ingredients from the freezer and pantry and started cooking for her parents. "Wow, Darlin', I'd heard that you had quite the place," Jack started. "What with all the reviews in the magazines and whatnot. But, this… This is amazing. Very top notch." Sarah smiled.

"Thank you, Dad." Her and Zondra finished preparing their lunch and served the food for them. They sat out in the front of the house, on the patio, overlooking the city. Even though it was the early afternoon, the view was still great, and it being November, the weather was perfect.

They made small talk, catching up on all the things they'd missed in the last three years. Halfway through lunch, Zondra excused herself, claiming that she had some errands she needed to run for Thanksgiving dinner. "So, this dinner at Charlie's house," Jack stated as they began cleaning the table. "Do we need to bring anything?"

"Oh, no. That's not necessary. Ellie, Chuck's sister, has dinner covered. I'm bringing dessert, my chocolate soufflé. I'd made it for them before and they loved it. Ellie asked me to bring another one."

"Oh, I just _love_ your chocolate soufflé," Emma gushed.

"And Zondra is making her mac-n-cheese casserole."

"What about wine?" Jack offered. "I know quite a bit about wine. We'd just hate to show up empty handed."

"I'm sure a bottle of wine would be fine, if you insist," Sarah said.

"We insist," Emma, well, insisted. Sarah smiled at her parents and once they were finished cleaning everything, Sarah brought them back to the car and drove them to their hotel, which was just across the street from her apartment building.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

It was Thanksgiving and all day, Ellie and Morgan were in the kitchen cooking. It was a marvel that Ellie allowed his best friend in the kitchen to help her with dinner. Though Chuck had to admit that the bearded man knew his way around the kitchen. There was a knock on the door and Chuck, who was not doing anything at the moment, went and opened the door.

"Hey Chuck," Zondra greeted. She was holding a casserole dish in her hands.

"Hey, Zondra, come on in!" Chuck smiled. "You can leave the dish on the counter. Help yourself to a glass of wine."

Zondra stepped inside and did as Chuck said. "Sarah's not here yet?"

"No, not yet. Casey and his family will be here soon, too."

"Casey? As in John Casey?"

"Oh! Right, you don't know. Casey is our neighbor," Chuck explained.

"Hmm. Interesting."

Zondra headed into the kitchen to offer her services to Ellie, who accepted without a second thought. That left Chuck, once again, to his own devices. The football game was on, but he never really enjoyed sports. And with Awesome out on a last minute grocery run to grab marshmallows for Ellie's sweet potatoes, Chuck was sitting on the counter, nursing his beer, watching on as Ellie, Morgan, and Zondra moved around the kitchen.

Casey and his family arrived next, bearing their famous mini quiches, as well as an apple pie and a pumpkin pie. As they all settled in, Chuck finally had people to mingle with while they waited for dinner to be ready. Devon managed to slip in with the groceries as Chuck poured Casey a scotch.

"Walker not here yet?" Casey grunted. "I figured she be the first one. What with you two being attached at the hip and all." Chuck shot the older man a look. "What? You don't actually think that the two of you are playing it smooth, do you? Everyone knows you both got a thing for each other. There's a actually a pool going on about when it's gonna become official." Chuck blinked.

"What? Seriously?"

"You tell anyone I told you and I'll deny it."

"Gee, thanks, Casey."

"But in all honesty, Walker's a good woman. You hurt her, I hurt you." Casey even made a fist to emphasize his point, but Chuck just smiled.

"Good," was his reply. If he ever hurt Sarah, he would let Casey beat the crap out of him.

The doorbell rang and Kathleen, who was closest to the door, answered it, revealing Sarah and her parents. Friendly introductions were made and Sarah dropped off her soufflé onto the counter beside the pies, her parents leaving a bottle of wine with the other alcoholic beverages. Sarah walked up to the trio.

"Hey Sarah," he smiled, pulling the blonde into a hug. "Happy Thanksgiving."

"Happy Thanksgiving, Chuck," she smiled back. Someone cleared their throat behind Sarah, pulling their attention away from each other. "Oh, uh… Chuck, I'd like you to meet my parents, Jack and Emma Walker. Mom, Dad, this is Chuck."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Walker," Chuck greeted politely, extending a hand. "Happy Thanksgiving. I'm glad you could join us."

"Thank you for having us, Charlie," Jack replied, accepting the hand and giving it a firm shake.

"Oh, it's our pleasure, please, help yourselves to some drinks. Dinner should be ready any minute now." Her parents nodded and walked away leaving the Chuck and Sarah alone. Sarah turned to Chuck.

"Does your sister need any help?" she asked.

"Nah. Between Ellie, Morgan, and Zondra, I think they've got it." Sarah nodded in understanding. "Besides, you made your soufflé. That's definitely enough." Sarah rolled her eyes.

"I would've brought pie, but it looks like Kathleen and Alex got that taken care of," she noted.

"Yup." The two talked as Chuck poured Sarah a glass of wine and they relocated to the couch.

"We missed a class this past Sunday," Chuck noted. "It looks like we'll have to make it up."

Sarah nodded. "Oh, absolutely." Chuck smiled at Sarah. She was definitely more responsive to his lame flirting attempts. He also noticed that she was much more physical with him: touching him more, lingering longer. He really enjoyed it. It raised his confidence with her after the whole Bryce debacle and he was getting ready to ask her out again… or well… ask her out for the first time. "So, by the way," Sarah changed the subject. "I'll be in New York next weekend for a conference at the CIA."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'll be giving a lecture."

"That sounds fun."

"I'd like you to come with me," she said suddenly. Chuck froze. Sarah wanted him to come? Why? Sure he could hold his own in the kitchen now but he wasn't anywhere near qualified to be at a culinary conference at one of the highest culinary institutions in the country. Did that mean she just wanted him to be with her for company?

"Me? Not that I don't want to, but why me?" Sarah shrugged.

"There's gonna be a talk on digital promotion of your business. You'd probably understand the technical mumbo jumbo better than me." Chuck nodded. _Oh. That was why._

"Yeah. I'd love to come. I'm not sure if my boss will give me the time off, though. She's kind of a stickler about the whole two-weeks-in-advance notice for extended leaves," he smirked. Sarah giggled.

"Oh, I think she'll give you an exception this time around," she smirked back.

"Dinner's ready!" Ellie announced, carrying a large turkey on a carving tray to the table where all the other dishes were laid out. Everyone gathered around the table, taking their seats, and Chuck stood, holding the glass of wine he'd just poured for himself.

"I guess it's time for me to do the toast, huh?" he said as everyone laughed. He did the toast every year since he did the least amount of dinner prep. "Well, looking around this table, I see at least ten reasons to be thankful. Growing up, Ellie and I only had each other. Our Thanksgiving meals were just the two of us for a long time. Then, we added Morgan and Devon, then Casey, Kathleen, and Alex, and now, Zondra, Sarah, and Jack and Emma. Our family has grown over the years and I'm thankful that all of you are here to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. So this is a toast to all of you. A toast to family."

"Cheers!" Everyone said, raising their glasses. Chuck took his seat beside Sarah and they all dug into the delicious food prepared by Ellie, with help from Morgan and Zondra.

"Wow, Ellie," Sarah said, taking a bite into the turkey. "This turkey is perfect."

Ellie smiled. "Thank you, Sarah." Chuck leaned over to Sarah.

"Don't be fooled. This is her third turkey." Sarah looked at him questioningly.

"She made _three_ turkeys?" she asked incredulously.

"The other two were just testers."

" _Just_ testers?" Chuck rolled his eyes at Sarah's repetition.

"Yeah. She thought Devon's parents were coming into town to visit so she went into freak out mode. Thank goodness they canceled at the last minute. I'm not sure how much of crazy Ellie I can handle."

"What did she do with the other two?"

"Morgan ate one." Sarah's eyes widened comically. It made Chuck want to laugh. "She gave the other one to the guys at Buy More."

"Really? Why them?"

"I think Morgan talked her into it. The manager, Emmett, always gets these two guys, Jeff and Lester, to stand guard at the store on Thanksgiving every year out of fear that they would get robbed. They haven't had a real Thanksgiving meal in… ever, actually." Sarah looked like she didn't believe him, but who was he to judge her? She'd never met Jeff and Lester, and to be honest, that could be seen as a blessing.

Dinner continued on with small talk around the table, everyone getting to know Jack and Emma better and vice versa. They'd learned that the couple was moving to San Diego soon for Jack's work. Sarah was happy about that, having her parents closer.

When dinner was over, everyone pitched in to help clean and eventually, the women and men were separated, the women going out to talk and drink wine in the courtyard while the men watched the game in the living room. Chuck was nursing his beer on the couch while everyone around him was cheering for the Denver Broncos. Sarah's dad took the seat next to him. "Not into football?" he asked, slightly startling Chuck.

"Uhh… Not really," Chuck chuckled nervously. "I'm more of a computer man. I leave the sporty stuff to Devon mostly." To Chuck's relief, Jack actually laughed.

"Well, then, Mr. Computer Man, what is it you do at my daughter's restaurant? She mentioned in passing that you worked there."

"I work on the wait staff, mostly, but I also take care of the IT and PR stuff," Chuck explained. Jack nodded.

"And where do you see yourself with my daughter?" Jack asked suddenly right when Chuck decided to take a swig of his beer.

Chuck sputtered for a bit before answering, "W-What? I-I-I– Sarah and I aren't– We're not–" Jack laughed and clapped Chuck on the back.

"Calm down, Charlie," he said. "I know you're not together. But I've got one real talent and that's reading people. I've been watching you two tonight and I can tell that you two really care about each other." Chuck stared at the older man sitting beside him.

"Sir–"

"Now, now, no need for that 'Sir' nonsense," Jack waved him off. "Take care of her."

"Of course. Always."

"You're a good man, Charlie," he said.

"Thank you, Mr. Walker."

"Jack," Sarah's father corrected.

"Jack," Chuck smiled.

With that, Sarah's dad turned back to the game, leaving Chuck alone with his thoughts. Did he just get Jack's blessing to date his daughter? To date Sarah? He hadn't exactly been looking for it, but now that he had her dad's blessing, Chuck felt even better and more confident than before.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

When the night was over, the only people still at Casa Bartowski were Sarah and her parents. Zondra, Casey and his family, and Morgan all left, leaving Devon, Ellie, Chuck, Sarah, Jack, and Emma in the living room enjoying a cup of coffee.

"So, back to work tomorrow for the two of you?" Jack inquired, taking a sip. Sarah nodded.

"Yeah. We've already lost a lot of potential revenue for shutting down today, so we've got to make up for it somehow."

"But, I mean, it's worth it," Chuck added, "right? You deserve some time to spend with family."

"Charlie's right, Darlin'." Jack agreed. "Don't forget to take time for yourself. The real measure of success isn't how much you make, it's–"

"It's how happy you are making it," Sarah finished. "I know, Dad," Sarah smiled.

"That's my girl," Jack said, proudly.

"So you leave for Oregon on Saturday?" Ellie asked.

"Yes," Emma answered. "Jack has work on Monday and we still have some things we need to settle before the move."

"We'll probably do a little sightseeing on our own tomorrow after Sarah leaves for work. You know, see the things that we didn't get to see over the week."

"Well what about in the morning?" Chuck asked. "I've lived in LA a lot longer than Sarah has. I could tag along in the morning and show you some of the local stomping grounds," he offered.

"That's a great idea, Chuck," Ellie agreed.

"It is a shame that Ellie and I couldn't get to see more of you," Devon said. "Anyone important to Sarah is important to us. She's become like family to us."

Chuck shot a smile to Sarah, who returned it shyly. There might have been a light blush dusting her cheeks. "That's good," Jack said. "Ever since she graduated from the CIA, Sarah has been travelling and working, never really having time for much else. I'm glad she's finally found another place to call home."

"Don't worry, Jack, Emma," Chuck cut in. "Sarah's always got a home with us."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Chuck arrived at Sarah's apartment building at eight in the morning. Her parents were expecting them soon so that they could eat breakfast at Bea Bea's, a charming little breakfast and brunch café in Burbank that's more of a local's stop than a tourist attraction. Zondra was the one that opened the door. "Hey there, lover boy," she greeted with a smirk. Chuck's eyes widened and he shushed the brunette.

"Shhh! Sarah might here you!" he whisper-shouted.

"Nah, she's been in the bathroom for the past thirty minutes trying to make her makeup perfect for you." Chuck blushed at that. "I wonder what it'd be like when the two of you actually start dating?" she wondered aloud. "I'd probably have to get my own place soon. You know, that is, if you ever get the balls to ask her out."

"Ask who out?" Sarah's voice drifted from the bathroom door, which was open to reveal the blonde dressed in dark jeans and a blue blouse with little white buttons. She took Chuck's breath away. When her question finally registered in his mind, Chuck snapped out of it.

"No one! Who? What? I'm not asking anyone out," he rambled. "Nope. There is no one asking anyone out. Especially not here. Yeah. I mean, no. I mean. You know what? I'm just gonna stop… Talking, that is. Yeah. I'm gonna stop. Right now. And… I'm done." The two women in front of him had different looks gracing their features. Zondra looked amused and entertained at Chuck's nervousness, while Sarah looked very confused.

"Alright…" Sarah squinted her eyes at the two brunettes in front of her. "Chuck and I are going to breakfast with my parents." She turned toward the vanity and started to grab her keys, wallet, phone, and other things she'd need, stuffing them into the small handbag on the counter.

Zondra smirked and leaned into Chuck, whispering, "breakfast with the parents. You got a ring in that pocket, Charlie?" Chuck gulped and blushed again. He was sure he was beet red at that point.

"Ready to go, Chuck?" Sarah asked, tugging on her heels, none the wiser of Zondra's comments.

"Yup! Ready," he replied nervously with an uncertain smile.

"Great. Zondra, I'll see you at the restaurant, later," Sarah smiled heading to the door with Chuck on her heels.

"You got it, boss lady," Zondra said with a mock salute, holding the pose until the green door shut behind the almost couple.

"So where are we eating?" Sarah asked as they rode the elevator back down to the ground floor.

"It's a place called Bea Bea's," Chuck told her. "It's really good. Ellie and I went there once to celebrate her getting into med school. It's actually not that far from here."

"Chuck, I just wanted to thank you for doing this," Sarah said. "You obviously didn't have to do this so I appreciate your effort." Chuck smiled.

"It's my pleasure, Sarah. Like Devon said, anyone who's important to you is important to us. Besides, your parents are really cool. They care about you, you know? That's more than I have to say for my parents."

Sarah watched Chuck as he stared ahead as they walked to his car. She'd never really heard much about Chuck's parents. She knew that they'd walked out on him and his sister when they were young, but she didn't know the details; he never really got into it and she never wanted to be the one that brought it up because of the pained look in his eyes whenever they were mentioned. She placed a hand just above his elbow and gave him a supportive smile, making it clear that he didn't have to talk about it, but she was there to listen if he wanted to. He returned a small smile just as they got to his car and the two of them got in, driving just across the street to pick up Sarah's parents.

"So where to, Charlie?" Jack asked as they pulled away from the hotel.

"It's a breakfast place not that far from here. Then, I was thinking we could go up to the Griffith Observatory."

"That sounds great! I heard the view up there is beautiful," Emma gushed. Chuck looked over at Sarah and gave her a surreptitious wink. Sarah repressed a smile and looked out the window, watching the buildings go by.

Breakfast was an interesting affair. After they'd ordered, Chuck engaged in small talk with the Walker family, eventually veering into stories about Sarah during her childhood years, much to the dismay of the blonde who seemed to be a permanent shade of red during the stories.

"It's absolutely true!" Jack said in between laughing. "I walked into the kitchen and little Sarah, probably around six or seven years old, was standing in the middle of what looked like a chocolate grenade went off. A bit of advice for the future: when kids go silent, something's wrong." Chuck knew that Jack meant that statement as an offhand comment, no suggestion or anything like that, but after the brief conversation that they'd had after dinner the night before, Chuck couldn't help but blush slightly.

"So what happened?" he asked, moving forward.

"I asked her what she did, and she told me, in the smallest, most innocent voice, 'I wanted cupcakes, Daddy.'" Sarah blushed even deeper.

"Even when she was little, Sarah absolutely loved being in the kitchen."

"That's so cute," Chuck said, looking at Sarah with an amused look in his eyes.

"What can I say?" Sarah shrugged. "I love food."

Chuck laughed at that. If it was possible, he thought he liked her even more. Seeing her with her parents, hearing old childhood stories, it let him look at Sarah Walker from a whole new angle. And, he loved it. He loved her.

Chuck blinked at that realization. He loved Sarah Walker. He guessed he's known that for a while, what with the mere thought of the blonde brought a smile to his face. But to finally admit it – at least to himself – was a great step forward.

When they were ready to go, Chuck, despite Jack, Emma, and Sarah's protests, covered their meal. They piled into Chuck's car and he drove them to the Griffith Observatory and parked. "Hope you guys have comfortable shoes on, there's a bit of a walk," Chuck said.

"That's not a problem," Emma assured.

Jack and Emma walked ahead, allowing Chuck and Sarah to walk together. "Thank you, for breakfast," she said. "You didn't have to pay for all of us."

"Like I said, it's no problem. Besides, what kind of host would I be if I made my guests pay? I invited you guys out."

"But still, you could have at least let me help cover the cost. I do live in LA, too. I'm not technically a guest." Chuck shrugged.

"I know… But I just… Look. I wanted to pay, okay? Can we just leave it at that?" Sarah pursed her lips.

"Fine," she said finally. "But if you really think about it, you used the money you got working for me so technically, I really paid for breakfast." Chuck rolled his eyes exaggeratedly.

"Really? Are you really gonna bring that up?" he whined somewhat jokingly. Sarah just smirked at him. "At least we're even now." Sarah shot him a confused look. "You know… You know embarrassing stories about my childhood… and now I know embarrassing stories about yours." He nudged her shoulder with his as they walked on, reaching the observatory campus.

They caught up to Jack and Emma, who were marveling at the sight of the large building in front of them. "Let me get a picture of you three," Chuck offered, pulling out his phone. Sarah moved to stand between her parents and Chuck took multiple pictures of the trio. They took turns taking pictures with Chuck's phone: one of just Jack and Emma, one of just Chuck and Sarah, and one of all four of them – taken by a nearby tourist who'd offered. They walked into the building and Chuck moved to pay for their tickets into one of the Planetarium shows.

"Chuck, you've got to let up. You're gonna go broke," Jack said. "Let me at least pay for mine and Emma's ticket."

"No, it's fine, Jack, I've got it."

"No, I insist. You already covered breakfast." Jack pushed ahead of Chuck to the ticket counter. "Don't take this man's money," he told the teller, pointing to Chuck. The teller responded with a warm smile.

"What can I do for you today?"

"Give me four tickets into the planetarium show."

"Four? Jack, I thought you said you were only paying for you and Emma!" Chuck said.

"I changed my mind, Charlie." Jack paid the teller and took the tickets. Chuck looked over at Sarah disbelievingly. She, in turn, just smiled. "Looks like the show starts at 12:45, which gives us about… half an hour or so to look around."

"Sounds great!" Emma said. "Lets go take a look at the view of the city."

"Great idea, mom," Sarah agreed. They headed back outside and made their way to the railing, loving the view of Los Angeles sprawled out in front of them. "Wow…" Sarah said, her voice laced with awe. "This is beautiful." Chuck pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of Sarah.

"It really is," he said softly. Sarah turned to look at him and saw that he wasn't looking at the view, but rather at her. She felt her cheeks warm, but she was sure the brightness of the sun would disguise the blush forming on her face.

"Hey Darlin'! Charlie! Come and take some pictures over here!" Jack called. Chuck and Sarah went over and they took similar pictures to the ones they took outside of the Observatory. When Chuck and Sarah were taking their picture, Chuck was standing behind Sarah with his hands on her shoulders.

"Oh come on, now, get closer," Jack said. Chuck stepped closer and wrapped his arms tentatively around Sarah. She placed her arms on top of his and leaned back into his chest.

She whispered to Chuck, "I swear, my dad thinks he's a professional photographer or something." That made Chuck snicker. He leaned in so that his lips were right at Sarah's ear.

"Well, he's holding an iPhone. Not the best camera to take pictures with." They both looked up, taking a picture with their heads leaned in together.

When Chuck got his phone back, he looked over the pictures they'd taken and noticed that Jack had taken the picture of him whispering in Sarah's ear. They looked like a real couple. The photo made him smile. He closed the app and pocketed his phone, catching up to Sarah and her parents who were already on their way to the planetarium.

After the show, Chuck and Sarah had to get to work so they dropped Jack and Emma off at their hotel. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Charlie," Jack said.

"And you as well, Jack, Emma. Come visit any time," Chuck nodded. "And, in case I don't see you again, before you leave, have a safe flight."

"Thank you, Chuck," Emma said. They exchanged hugs.

As Chuck and Jack leaned in for a hug, Jack said, "Take care of each other." They pulled away and Chuck gave a silent nod. Chuck and Sarah waited as Jack and Emma disappeared into the lobby of their hotel before getting back in Chuck's car to drive to the restaurant.

"Thank you, again, for doing this today," Sarah said.

"It's no problem. I had fun." Sarah smiled.

"I did too." They shared a smile and Chuck was sure. He loved Sarah Walker.

* * *

And there you go! Really big revelation on Chuck's part. Lemme know what you think!

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	12. Chuck Versus the Business Trip

Are y'all ready? I don't think you're ready... This one's a doozy.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Chuck. As much as I wish I do, I don't. I know. I'm disappointed too...

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the Business Trip**

"This is so exciting, Chuck!" Ellie said. She was sitting on his desk chair while he packed.

"It's a business trip," he replied with a roll of his eyes.

" _With Sarah,_ " she countered. "Think about it. Four days. Just the two of you. Alone. In New York."

"First, it's three and a half days; Thursday doesn't count because we're flying in. And second, New York has nearly 20 million people. We most certainly will not be alone." This time, Ellie rolled her eyes.

"You know what I mean. Chuck, this could be your chance. You know. To finally get together with Sarah?" Chuck stopped packing and rubbed a hand over his face.

"I don't know, El. If it happens, it happens. But this is a work trip. We'll be around all of Sarah's colleagues and mentors and I don't think she needs the distraction right now."

Ellie lifted her hands in surrender. "Alright. Alright. You're right. I'll lay off. Message received."

"Thank you."

"But if you do get together, I get to say 'I told you so.'" Chuck chuckled and went back to packing. His sister may have been super nosy when it came to his love life, but he knew she meant well and that she only wanted him to be happy. He himself was glad he had someone watching his back. And, he'd always watch Ellie's back, too. Ever since their parents left, all they had was each other, and for a while, that was all they needed.

To be completely honest, he missed the one-on-one talks with his older sister. He missed getting advice from her and just knowing she was nearby whenever he needed one of her hugs. Living with her again reminded him that she was never gone; he would always have a home with her even if she had her own family. "Well, I gotta go or I'll be late for my rounds," Ellie said, breaking Chuck out of his trance. "What time is Sarah picking you up?"

"She said she'd be here tomorrow morning at around nine. Our flight is at noon." Ellie nodded.

"Then I guess I'll see you when you get back," she replied, standing from her seat. The siblings hugged and Ellie gave one last smile before she left Chuck's room.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

"First class?" Chuck's eyes went wide as he and Sarah boarded the plane. "We're sitting in first class?" Sarah laughed at Chuck's awed look as he beheld the stylish and luxurious cabin. She'd taken care of the entire itinerary for the trip so he didn't know that they would be sitting in first class; she also wanted to see his reaction so she kept that little detail to herself. "Wait, what am I thinking? Of course we're in first class. You're Sarah Walker. Nothing less than first class for a first class lady," he smiled. Sarah returned the smile, a blush creeping up her neck. It always marveled her how Chuck could say the most off-hand comment without thinking about it and how much it affected her.

"We're in A1 and A2, Chuck," she said, getting him back on track. When they located their seats, they placed their baggage in the overhead compartment.

"Do you prefer the window?" Chuck asked, when they awkwardly stood by their seats.

"You can take the window if you want to," Sarah replied noncommittally.

"But then you wouldn't get to see the view."

"It's really not a big deal, Chuck. Take the window."

"Are you sure?" Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Yes. Now sit." Chuck obeyed, sitting in the window seat as Sarah situated herself in the aisle seat. Chuck looked out the window at the tarmac. He'd never been afraid of flying; he'd been on multiple business trips for Roark Instruments over the years he'd worked there, but he always got that nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach right before takeoff. "You okay?" Chuck snapped his head to face Sarah.

"Huh? What? Yeah. Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" he stuttered, one corner of his mouth tipping up slightly in nervous smile.

"Your knuckles are white," she noted. Chuck looked down at his hands in his lap. Sure enough, both were in fists held so tight that his knuckles were pale. He immediately released them and wiped his palms on his jeans. "You don't fly much, do you?" Chuck shook his head.

"No. Last time I flew was for a conference in San Francisco for RI. That was only an hour and a half flight. This one is a whole five hours. Last time I went to New York was for New York Comic Con back when I was in college. It's been a while. But it's okay. I can handle it. I only get nervous during takeoff. I'm fine once we're up in the air." Sarah smiled softly at Chuck's ramblings. Instead of saying anything, she took his hand and held it in hers, intertwining their fingers. The plane lurched slightly, signaling that they were moving from the tarmac toward the runway.

"Chuck," she said, looking into his brown eyes. "Don't freak out."

Chuck released a breath that he didn't know he was holding in, closed his eyes, and leaned back into his chair, clutching Sarah's hand in his. He could feel the speed pick up and the roar of the engines were deafening. There was another lurch and then the strange feeling of weightlessness, indicating that they were in the air, climbing slowly up to cruising altitude.

The whole time, Chuck held tightly onto Sarah's hand, only relaxing when the plane leveled off and the 'fasten seat belts' light shut off. "You good?" Sarah asked. He opened his eyes and turned toward her to see her blue eyes looking up at him. He nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks."

They shared a smile but made no move to release the other's hand. Not that it was a problem. The warmth from Chuck's hand, fully encompassing Sarah's, was comfortable. His hand seemed to fit around hers perfectly, as though it was made to hold hers. A flight attendant walked up to them. "Hello, can I get you anything to drink?"

"Just a water for me," Sarah said.

"I'll take a champagne," Chuck said, deciding to enjoy the option. A pause, then, "And maybe a little bag of peanuts. Do you have those? Or would it be more appropriate to order a shrimp cocktail, cause this is first class. You know? Do they only serve peanuts in coach?" Amusement toward Chuck showed in Sarah's eyes as she turned to the attendant.

"It's his first time in first class," she explained, not really sure if what she was saying was true. "A bag of peanuts if you have it will be fine." The attendant nodded and walked away. "Will you calm down?" Sarah turned to Chuck. "You're making me nervous."

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Chuck apologized. "I'm just not sure how I'm supposed to act." Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"You've really never been in first class? Not even for RI?" Chuck shook his head.

"No. I was always in coach for business trips for RI." Sarah nodded in understanding.

The attendant returned shortly after and handed them their respective drinks as well as Chuck's packet of peanuts. "If you would like anything else, there is a menu in the pocket of the seat in front of you," she said with a smile before walking away. Chuck frowned and pulled up the menu and perused it.

"You know, she could have told us it was there before taking our orders," he muttered loud enough so that only Sarah would hear. The blonde laughed at Chuck's misfortunes but otherwise said nothing.

"I'll leave you to that," she said, reaching down into her bag and pulling out her laptop. "I need to go over my presentation." She started working and making last minute changes and adjustments, running over her lecture and talking points in her head.

She was able to work silently for an hour straight before she felt Chuck shift from focusing on his handheld video game to peering over her shoulder at her work. "Can I help you with something?" she asked. Chuck jumped slightly and his eyes widened.

"Uhh… No! Just… You know… Um… So… What exactly are you lecturing about?" he asked.

"It's about running an efficient kitchen," she said. Chuck raised an eyebrow, egging her on to elaborate. "I'm kind of known for running the most efficient kitchens at the CIA. Whenever we ran service simulations, the kitchen I ran had the highest output and satisfactory rate." Sarah blushed slightly, not really wanting to seem like she was bragging about herself.

"So you're kind of a hot shot over there, huh?" Chuck said. "That's pretty badass."

"What about you, Mr. Stanford?" Sarah smirked. "Ellie told me that you were a kind of a big deal over there."

"Ahh… That would be a no," he said. "Chuck Bartowski wasn't much of anyone in Stanford. The Piranha, however, was the ghost hacker that everyone in the Engineering department idolized." This time, Sarah raised an eyebrow. "I'm the Piranha. Well, was. I don't do much hacking anymore."

"That's still pretty impressive," Sarah said. "Might I say… Badass." Chuck smiled.

"Ha. Thanks. Bur really, it's not much. At least people knew your name. I was just a ghost."

They smiled at each other before Sarah looked away. "So, yeah. I'll basically be talking about how I work through running my kitchen and how to keep everyone on the staff on the same page."

"For a whole hour? Sounds…"

"Boring?"

"What? No! Of course not!" Sarah chuckled.

"Don't lie. It's not the most invigorating topic to talk about. When they asked me to do it, I was… definitely hesitant. But, it's a free trip to New York and I get to see all of my old mentors so… I agreed."

"So… I'm here because…"

"Well, like I said, there will be a couple of lectures on the technical side of the restaurant business and promoting the restaurant. Since that's your job, I figured you could suffer through a talk or two."

"Gee. Thanks. I really feel the love." Sarah laughed and shut her laptop.

"Only the best for you," she laughed, stowing the device away.

"You know…" Chuck began after she settled back into her seat. "We're gonna be missing this week's music lesson."

"We are." Chuck dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He handed her an earbud and searched through his music library.

"I think you'll really like this band," Chuck said. They'd gotten to the Indie music genre and Chuck decided that it would be prudent to just go through some of his favorite bands and singers and play their songs. There were just so many different styles to just pick one or organize them by style. "Bon Iver is one of my favorites."

A guitar played a haunting melody and then a voice started singing.

 _Come on skinny love just last the year_ _  
_ _Pour a little salt we were never here_ _  
_ _My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my_ _  
_ _Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer_

Sarah smiled at the soothing tone the song had. She liked it too.

 _I told you to be patient_ _  
_ _I told you to be fine_ _  
_ _I told you to be balanced_ _  
_ _I told you to be kind_ _  
_ _In the morning I'll be with you_ _  
_ _But it will be a different "kind"_ _  
_ _I'll be holding all the tickets_ _  
_ _And you'll be owning all the fines_

Sarah closed her eyes and just listened to the song playing in her ear, taking in the lyrics. Soon, she found herself drifting off.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

"Uh. Should I just request a separate room?" Chuck asked as they stared at the single queen sized bed in their hotel room. The CIA had accommodated all the guest speakers for the weekend with a room at a nearby hotel. Sarah had requested a room with two beds but apparently they didn't get the memo. "Or a cot? Do they have cots here?" Chuck began rambling nonsensically about how he could take the duvet and make a makeshift bed on the floor for himself.

"Chuck, it's fine," Sarah interrupted. "We can share the bed." She refused to look at him as she said that, lest she blush so deeply she would look like a tomato. She knew he was staring at her, she could feel his eyes bore into the side of her head, but she continued to stare at the bed.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Absolutely. It's no big deal," she said. "And I'm not gonna make you pay for a room when we have a free one here, nor am I make you sleep on a lumpy, uncomfortable cot that will probably be too short for you." He opened his mouth to speak but Sarah cut him off. "You're not sleeping on the floor, either." Chuck's jaw snapped shut with a click as his teeth knocked together.

"If you're absolutely sure," he said, before placing his luggage on the ground and digging around in it.

The two went around, settling themselves into the room silently. It all felt very domesticated, how Chuck and Sarah both occupied the space without conflict. Their bathroom things lined the counter in a way that looked like they'd been doing it for years and Chuck's laptop sat on the desk beside Sarah's. Even choosing their side of the bed felt natural; Chuck normally slept on the right side of the bed and Sarah normally slept on the left.

Sarah was in the restroom cleaning up and changing from the flight. Her and Chuck were planning on going to the dinner with the other guest speakers at one of the restaurants on the CIA campus, _Ristorante Caterina de' Medici_. Chuck simply tossed on dark jeans and a nice button down shirt and was ready to go. He was lounging on the bed, playing his Nintendo DS lite, when the bathroom door opened and Sarah walked out. She was dressed in dark blue jeans and a blue blouse with little white buttons. He'd seen that particular outfit before, but Sarah was just gorgeous no matter what she wore. "You ready?" she asked, jarring him out of his thoughts and back to reality.

"Huh?"

"I asked if you were ready to go," she said. "To dinner?" she added after a brief pause.

"Right! Yes! Dinner. Absolutely. I love… dinner," Chuck said, frowning by the end of his declaration of love for… dinner. Sarah suppressed a smile and lead the way down to the valet where their rental car was waiting. They hopped in and Sarah drove them to the restaurant. When they arrived, Sarah greeted the hostess, who's eyes widened in what Chuck could only read as admiration, informing her that they were there for a private party. The hostess, after regaining her composure, smiled and led them to a room in the back that was sectioned off.

"Well, well, well…" one of the other guest speakers drawled as they walked in, " If it isn't the Ice Queen herself, Sarah Walker." Chuck took in the man's appearance. He was tall, but probably not as tall as Chuck was. He had a lush head of hair that was perfectly styled to make him look like Superman or something. Chuck figured that the man could be considered classically handsome in a superhero sort of way.

Sarah rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Shaw," she greeted with a calculated poise. Even from his position behind Sarah, Chuck could feel the disdain Sarah had for the man in front of her. He saw it in the miniscule way she'd tensed upon hearing the older man's voice.

"You know, I saw your name on the list of guest speakers and I thought, 'Damn. I better pack an extra jacket.'"

"Very funny," Sarah ground out, the polite air about her rapidly disappearing. Chuck placed a hand against the small of her back and felt her relax under his touch. Shaw seemed to notice Chuck's movement as well.

"And who's this?" he smirked, turning his attention toward the nerd. "Could it be that the Ice Queen's heart has warmed? What's your name?"

"Chuck," Chuck answered. Shaw raised a condescending eyebrow.

"Chuck? That's quite the name. So, Chuck, what's so special about you? Walker was practically a nun back in the day. How did you manage to get into her pants? What's the secret?" Chuck stepped forward, his fist clenched, a low growl emanating from his throat. He wasn't normally an aggressive person but listening to Shaw openly demean Sarah in front of everyone in the room made him want to punch the other man. Sarah held her arm out, stopping Chuck from advancing any further.

"That's easy," she said, her voice steady. "He isn't you." With that, Sarah grabbed Chuck's hand and led him to the other end of the table, leaving Shaw with a stunned look on his face and the people around him jeering and laughing at Shaw's misfortune. "Daniel Shaw," Sarah very nearly growled to Chuck when they took their seats. "Pain in the ass. Got the personality of a two-by-four."

"Really? Hadn't noticed," Chuck commented sarcastically. It got his desired result; Sarah smiled. "Who is that guy, anyway?"

"He was the CIA's hot shot chef when I started," Sarah told him, keeping her gaze leveled at the table in front of her. "The Mr. Popular that got whatever he wanted. Except for me, that is." Chuck raised an eyebrow, silently urging her to expand. "He'd asked me out on multiple occasions. I told him no every time. Hence the name 'Ice Queen.' But after he graduated, the new people who didn't know him or the backstory behind the nickname took it to mean that I was a hard ass in the kitchen, which I was."

When Chuck didn't say anything in response, Sarah looked over at him to see him smiling that stupidly boyish smile. She shot him a questioning look, to which his smile only grew until he was giving her his full Bartowski smile. "You are a marvel, Sarah Walker," he said. "You truly never cease to amaze me." Sarah returned his smile with one of her own before elbowing him lightly.

The two talked mostly to each other, occasionally speaking to anyone who walked up to them. Sarah did most of the talking, since Chuck had no idea who anyone was. She introduced him to her old mentors and peers. Chuck found them all to be nice and decent people, the only outlier, it seemed, was Shaw. Maybe Clyde Decker as well, one of Sarah's old professors. That man just had an arrogant air about him that Chuck found extremely annoying.

"Sarah Walker," a voice called, pulling Chuck and Sarah's attention away from their conversation with another one of Sarah's peers.

"Chef Hartley," Sarah smiled warmly, hugging the elderly man. "It's been too long. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm just fine. Still shaping the minds of young chefs." Chuck noted the British accent that the older man had and the warm tone he had to his voice.

"Chef, this is Chuck," Sarah introduced. "He's a friend of mine that agreed to come on this trip with me. Chuck, this is Chef Hartley Winterbottom. He was my mentor and advisor when I was at the CIA." Chuck shook Hartley's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, sir," he greeted warmly.

"And you as well, young man," Hartley returned before turning back to Sarah. "So, tell me about this restaurant. I've heard nothing but great things about it." With that, Sarah launched into a lengthy conversation with her former mentor about her restaurant and the hiccups she'd come across while starting up. Chuck wasn't really a part of the conversation from that point on, but he didn't mind. He loved to listen to Sarah talk about herself and open up. He just loved learning new things about her, period. Watching her as her eyes lit up as she talked about the things she was passionate about was his favorite thing to see. He'd noticed over the months that they'd known each other that Sarah was very good at concealing her emotions with her facial features. Her poker face was impregnable. But, if you knew where to look and what to look for, you could see every emotion she felt in her baby blues.

When dinner was over, Chuck and Sarah had said their goodbyes before retiring back to their hotel. They made it up to their room and immediately got ready for bed, exhausted from the traveling they did all day and the mingling they'd done all night.

They both had an early morning the next day, with various talks and seminars that they wanted to see. Sarah's lecture wasn't until Saturday morning, the last day of the conference. Friday would be filled with sitting in on lectures and demonstrations, Saturday as well. It was going to be a long two days. But after that, they would drive down to New York City and spend Sunday there before flying back on Monday.

After getting ready for the night, Chuck and Sarah climbed into their respective sides of the bed, an appropriate distance for two friends, they fell asleep.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Chuck was in awe. That was the only way to put it. The Culinary Institute of America looked like a freaking castle. _This was where Sarah studied?!_ he thought to himself in amazement. Sarah, for her part, didn't seem phased by the campus or the view. Chuck figured she was probably used to it after spending four years there. He wasn't sure he would ever get used to a view like this.

They were smack dab between Albany and New York City, right on the banks of the Hudson River and _damn_ , did it look like some painting out of an art exhibit. Yeah, they were just there the night before for dinner, but it was dark and they didn't even go near the main building. "It's kind of amazing isn't it," Sarah said from beside him. Chuck nodded, still speechless. "The view at sunrise and sunset was always my favorite, the way the colors reflected off the Hudson. It's beautiful."

"Yeah, it definitely is," he said, but he wasn't looking at the view, anymore. Sarah seemed to pick up on his implication and blushed, turning her head away from him. She cleared her throat a few seconds later.

"We should probably head inside," she said, still not looking at him. Chuck nearly regretted his lack of a filter when he said what he did, but the blush on Sarah's face and how flustered she'd gotten was so worth it, that he actually felt proud.

They walked together up to the mansion-like building and Sarah gave him a tour as they moved around. They sat in on a couple of talks and watched a few demonstrations. Sarah had even signed a few autographs and taken a couple of pictures with some of the students and Chuck could tell that it was all a little surreal for the blonde. Chuck decided that he liked seeing a flustered Sarah. It was refreshing compared to her normally composed and in-control attitude. After she'd finished taking pictures with the latest group of students that had stopped them, Sarah walked up to Chuck, saying, "I found out that there's a duel going on, if you want to go watch." The first thing that ran through Chuck's mind was two guys with guns walking ten paces, but then he realized that it must've had something to do with food.

"Like the one you told me about before?" Chuck asked, referring to the cook-off that put a massive strain on her and Zondra's friendship.

"Kind of, except this one is a stand alone. Whenever two students get into an argument, they battle it out in a cook-off. It's kind of a big event, too. Wagers, judges, rules, the whole shebang," Sarah explained. Chuck smiled.

"Sounds cool. Let's go." They walked into the main auditorium where people were already filing into seats. The pair chose seats fairly close to the floor, right where they got a good view of the action. "So, explain this to me."

"So, the whole concept is taken from a Japanese culinary school, Totsuki. In order for the duel to be 'official', there must be an odd amount of judges – three is usually standard. The wagers also have to be of equal risk. Most duels are done for prestige, but there's the occasional, career-on-the-line battle."

"Have you ever done one?"

Sarah shrugged. "Yeah. Only a couple. Some of the upperclassmen like to challenge the underclassmen to show them who's superior."

When Sarah didn't continue, Chuck nudged her. "And…?"

"And what?"

"And did you win?"

"Yeah." Chuck blinked. The way that Sarah said it so nonchalantly told Chuck that she was _definitely_ underplaying her duels. He decided to let it go.

A few minutes later, couple of CIA students sat down beside Chuck, muttering not-so-quietly. He was able to pick up some of their conversation.

"That's _definitely_ Sarah Walker," the one who sat closest to him said. "Just look at her pic in the Hall of Fame cabinet."

"So she's really giving a lecture?" the second one asked.

"Yeah. On how to efficiently run a kitchen."

The third one scoffed. "She should lecture about how to win duels. Honestly. Fifty duels in the four years she's been here and not a single loss. Insanity."

"She's a legend for a reason," the first one nodded in agreement. Chuck turned to Sarah, who was watching the stage with curiosity.

"So, fifty wins?" he asked slyly. Sarah's eyes bugged as she turned to look at him.

"What? Where did you hear that?" she asked.

Chuck cocked his head to gesture to the students sitting beside him. "I overheard them talking about the legendary Sarah Walker. 'Only a couple,' my ass," he smirked. Sarah face palmed, her cheeks a light rosy color.

"Please stop."

"What? These kids look up to you. That's a fricken compliment."

"It's not that great."

"Fifty? That's like twelve to thirteen duels every year that you were here."

"The only reason I have that high of a number," she said, "is because people kept challenging me. I'd won a couple against the upperclassman my freshman year like I told you and people kept challenging me because I was the only freshman to ever win against seniors."

"And you're not one to back down from a challenge," Chuck surmised.

"You guessed it." Chuck marveled at the woman sitting beside her. He had the sudden urge to just kiss her. Right on the lips. If not just to keep her from biting them like she was right then.

By some luck, he was able to restrain himself, instead opting to say, "You just get more and more badass everyday, Sarah Walker." Sarah gave Chuck his desired effect when she smiled up at him, leaning into his arm.

They watched the duel, Sarah giving running commentary to Chuck the entire time, as well as stating here and there what she would have done differently technique wise.

In the end, the challenger won by unanimous decision. The defender slumped over in defeat and Chuck couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy, wondering what he'd lost along with the battle. They never did find out as Sarah stood and led him out the door. "That was really intense. Like… _Iron Chef_ intense." Sarah chuckled at Chuck's reference and led him back to the main building so they could sit in on another talk.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The next day, Chuck woke up to find Sarah moving around the room they were sharing, dressed for the day in a nice teal blouse and black skirt combination, large belt circling her waistband. Her hair was wavy and clipped low on her head, a few strands framing her face. She was absolutely gorgeous. But it was still way to early for her to be up. "Stop moving," he grumbled into his pillow. "It's too early."

"I can't, Chuck. There's still so much that I have to do. I'm giving a lecture today and judging from what you found out yesterday, you already know that I've got quite the name to live up to." Chuck sighed before getting up and walking over to her. He held her arms, stilling her.

"Breathe, Sarah," he said. She did as he was told, visibly calming in front of him. "Good. Now, just relax. Okay? The people here think you're a legend. You. Not some person _trying_ to live up to a name. You became a legend all by yourself. You don't need to do anything special to keep that." He stared into Sarah's eyes as if _willing_ to make her see herself the way he saw her. Eventually, the manic look in her eyes faded and they shone brightly, matching the smile that was on her face.

Needless to say, Sarah's lecture was a success. They'd set her up in the largest lecture hall that the school had and it was a full house. Chuck had sat in the front row, shooting Sarah reassuring looks and smiles as a never-ending flux of students, faculty, and alumni filed in, all eager to hear what she had to say.

Once everyone was settled, Sarah began, her voice echoing over the PA system as she spoke, the little microphone clipped to her blouse picking up her every word. She first introduced herself and listed her accomplishments during her time at the CIA and after she graduated, as was standard with every alumni that lectured at the conference. She then went on to explain the necessities in running an efficient kitchen. As Sarah presented, Chuck couldn't help but smile the whole time. The topic itself was boring as hell, but Sarah made it fun, interactive, and hilarious, dropping anecdotes and witty jokes here and there. When she finished, the audience applauded and dispersed, some (mostly students) staying behind to ask a few questions. Chuck remained in his seat until the last person filed out, leaving just him and her. He stood and smiled as he walked up to her.

"What did I tell you?" he asked. "They loved you!" Sarah rolled her eyes as she unclipped the mic and unwired herself. Chuck helped her gather her things and slung her bag over his shoulder.

"Fine. You were right," she admitted. "I can carry that myself, you know."

"Yeah, but then what kind of gentleman would I be?" he smirked. "Besides, if I didn't, I have a feeling that Ellie will find out and then chew me out." Sarah raised an eyebrow before chuckling softly.

"Come on, we can go drop that off at the car and then go sit in on a couple more talks," she said instead and led him back to where their rental was parked.

As they strolled through the campus toward the next lecture they'd decided to sit in on, Sarah's name was called. The two stopped and turned to see the challenger from yesterday's duel standing there. At his outburst, a couple of nearby students and faculty stopped and turned to witness the potential confrontation. "So it is you," the burly man said.

"Can I help you with anything?" Sarah replied politely, though Chuck could tell by the slight inflection in her voice that she was beyond annoyed at the student's audacity.

"Absolutely," he said. "I challenge you, Sarah Walker, to a duel _._ " A few gasps could be heard in the crowd that had formed around them. Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"And why would I accept? We have no quarrel." The burly student laughed.

"That never stopped you from accepting before," he noted, a hint of arrogance. "There's no rule against challenging alumni, so long as the other rules are abided by."

"And the wager?"

"Your most prized knife." Chuck felt Sarah tense beside him. "I've won forty-nine duels. How fitting would it be for my fiftieth straight win to be over that of the Great Sarah Walker?"

"And when you lose? What would you give up?" Chuck was sure that he wasn't the only one that caught her use of 'when' instead of 'if.'

"I'll return every knife I've ever taken from all my duels _._ " Chuck swore he could he Sarah growl but that might have been just him. The air all around him was tense. Not only from Sarah, but also from everyone standing around them. He was sure that some of the students that had lost their most prized knife to this guy were standing in the crowd.

"You do realize that I leave tomorrow," she managed through clenched teeth. "If we were to do this, it would have to be tonight."

"Fine with me. I'm always ready."

"The theme?"

The student smirked. "Italian." The two stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before Sarah broke it.

"Tonight. Seven," was all she said before turning and walking away, Chuck hot on her heels.

Sarah led him back to the main campus building toward one of the practice kitchens. She shut the door behind her after Chuck entered. "What the hell?" Chuck asked, astonished at the turn of events. "What just happened?"

Sarah looked up at him, an unreadable expression on her face. "I was challenged to a duel, if you didn't catch that," she stated sarcastically.

"Woah, now." Chuck raised his hands defensively, saying, "No need for the attitude. I'm on your side, remember?"

Sarah shook her head in resignation. "I'm sorry. I just… I wasn't expecting this. And the nerve of that guy to–" Sarah didn't even finish her sentence, she was so frustrated.

Chuck saw this and walked up to her, holding her shoulders similarly to the way he did that morning. "Breathe," he said. "You've got this."

"I've got eight hours to create a dish for this stupid cook-off," she said.

"And how long do you normally get?"

"Two weeks." Chuck blinked.

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh."

"Well, that's alright. I mean, Italian is your specialty, right? This should be easy for you." Sarah shook her head in contemplation.

"Normally, yes, but everyone knows about my time in Italy, and that my restaurant is Italian. So, either that guy is really ballsy, or he's got a plan. I'm betting on the latter. Which means that if he's got a plan, then he's been planning this for weeks, maybe months." Sarah sat on a stool. "Everyone here knows my cooking style, what to expect from me in a duel. They've been in practice cooking under time constraints on their own, I haven't done like this since I graduated. I'm so out of practice. I don't–"

"Hey," Chuck said, moving his hands from her shoulders to frame her face. "You're spiraling. You don't spiral. I spiral. Okay?" It was really awkward, but Sarah managed to nod with Chuck still holding her head in his hands. "Now, you're forgetting one thing." Sarah looked at him, confused, silently urging him to continue. "You're Sarah Walker," he said matter-of-factly. "You've got tons more experience than these bozos. You hold the record of most consecutive wins. You've changed since you've left here. You have way more cards in your hand than he does. Plus, you've got me." He said that last one with a smug smirk on his face. Sarah rolled her eyes, but the small smile on her face took away any trace of true annoyance. She stepped closer to Chuck, causing him to release her face, and wrapped her arms around his middle, burying her face into the crook of his neck. Chuck, in return, wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"Thank you," she muttered, her voice coming out slightly muffled. "For being here."

"I'll always be here." Chuck said before he really thought about the implication of what he just said. But at that moment, with Sarah in his arms, he didn't really care.

When they eventually parted, they started brainstorming possible recipes and dishes that Sarah could do for the duel. Once they decided on something, Sarah would cook it and they would taste it.

After three hours and thirty potential plates later, Sarah still found herself at a loss. "None of it's good enough," she sighed in defeat.

"What about the Alfredo? That one was delicious."

"But that's not enough. It's too simple. Duel meals are meals that are creative, innovative, challenging. Using one of my normal recipes wouldn't be enough to win."

"So, what are some other recipes we can try? You know… that we haven't done yet?"

"I can try another pasta dish or maybe a soup, maybe a porchetta–"

"Porchetta? Like pork roast?"

"Yeah. It's a rolled pork belly. But that's also a basic Italian dish. And I don't have the time to make it properly."

"Well, what if you did something to cook it faster? That would be different."

"It's pork, though. The only think you can roast fast enough and still get a pork flavor would be…" Sarah eyes widened in revelation. "Bacon," she said softly. Chuck was slightly confused but he heard the word 'bacon' and was happy enough to not question her as she started flitting around the kitchen throwing things together. An hour and a half later, Sarah placed a dish in front of him and it looked just like a roasted pork belly wrapped in bacon. Chuck frowned. He didn't see her use any meat, except for the bacon, when she was cooking.

Sarah sliced a piece and placed it on a separate plate for her and Chuck to share. Chuck took a bite and his whole world exploded. It tasted _just like_ a pork roast, but it had the texture of mashed potatoes. It was the best thing he'd ever tasted. He looked over at Sarah to see her reaction and was slightly shocked to see a contemplative look on her face. "Don't tell me you don't think this isn't the best thing ever," he said, actually offended by her reaction. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"It's good," she agreed. "But it's not perfect." Sarah pulled out a small notebook from her pocket, as she had been throughout the day, and making some notes. "This'll be good," she said when she finished, stuffing both items back into her pocket. "This will work." Chuck smiled and checked his watch. They had approximately two and a half hours before the duel.

"Come on," he said.

"What?"

"Let's go for a walk. Stretch, get some fresh air, you know, de-stress."

"What? No. I still need to try this modification."

"No, you don't. It's perfect," he argued. "What you _need_ to do is get out of this kitchen. I don't know if you've noticed this, but we've been in this room cooking for over five hours straight. It's a bit maddening for those not _actually_ cooking." Sarah sighed.

"Alright. Let me just clean up here."

"I'll help." Together, they set about washing all the pots, pans, and utensils that Sarah had used throughout the day. They wrapped up the leftover not-really-porchetta and got rid of any evidence of what they'd done and worked on. Sarah had insisted, saying that some people did whatever they could to get the upper hand. When they were finished, they left the kitchen and set out on a stroll around the CIA campus.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The auditorium where the duel was being held was packed. Way more packed than it had been the day before. There wasn't a single seat available by ten minutes before seven. Chuck managed to find a seat where if Sarah were to look up from the stove, she would see him. Three people sat at what was obviously a judges' table. Chuck didn't recognize any of the judges, which, why would he? On the farthest left of the table, sat an elderly man that looked polished and refined. The man in the middle was an older African-American man with features set like stone. On the right side of the man in the middle, was a redheaded woman that had the stature of a military general.

At exactly seven, someone, a student, came out and introduced herself as the master of ceremony for the duel then went on to introduce the judges. "Our first judge is Chef Robert Stanfield, the CIA's very own director of student affairs." The elderly man on the right stood and waved as the crowd cheered. The magnitude of the event felt like a sporting match or something. "Our second judge is Chef Diane Beckman, the chair of the culinary arts department." More cheering as the redheaded woman stood with a courteous nod. "And our head judge for tonight's duel, our president himself, President Langston Graham." The man in the middle stood, no smile, no wave, no polite nod. He simply stood, looked around the arena intimidatingly, and sat back in his seat. The M.C. then went on to introduce the competitors for the night.

"First, our challenger," she said. "You know him as the Hash Slinging Slasher." Chuck snorted quietly to himself at the nickname, though not quietly enough as he garnered a few strange looks from beside him.

"What, you know, the Hash Slinging Sl– From SpongeBob…? No? Oh, God." He said, turning back to the stage as the challenger entered.

"He has forty-nine consecutive wins and is one win away from reaching the record of fifty consecutive wins. Give it up for Hugo Panzer!" There were some cheers but it was clear that the student wasn't well liked by the student body. There were even a few boo's that Chuck could hear from where he was sitting. Hugo stepped onto the raised platform that held the two cooking stations and stood by his.

"Our defender for tonight's duel is a CIA alum," the M.C. continued on. "But not just any alumni, she's the alum that _holds_ the record for fifty consecutive wins. Give it up for Her Majesty, the Ice Queen herself, the legendary Sarah Walker." Chuck was torn between wanting to laugh and shouting with pride at the introduction that he knew Sarah would surely be embarrassed over. Sarah walked out in her black chef uniform, having brought it with her from Los Angeles – "A good chef always brings a knife set and a jacket. It's the thirty-foot rule," she'd told him while they were in her standby room. The crowd went wild. Literally. People were jumping out of their chairs and cheering and clapping and it was deafening. The auditorium lights did a good job of concealing most of it, but Chuck could see a faint blush dusting the apples of her cheek.

The M.C. went on to explain the rules of the duel. The two would cook until they finished, with a time cap of two hours. They had to create three plates of the same dish – one for each judge. The winner would be decided by majority vote. She also reminded everyone what the wager was, but everyone knew what was at stake. It wasn't just culinary utensils; it was a reputation and a legacy.

After the countdown, both chefs began flitting around their stations, cooking their chosen dishes. Chuck gasps slightly at Hugo's choice dish. It's a Fettuccine Alfredo, the same dish that Sarah had thought about using for a full hour. It was her first choice, seeing as it was her best dish. Hugo must have thought that she would go with it and would have tried to beat her with her own dish. Luckily, Sarah had a different plan. Just as she began laying down three beds of bacon, and rolled up the potato loaf, someone spoke up.

"What the hell is she doing?" a student asked from beside him. "That doesn't even look like an Italian dish. I thought Sarah Walker was supposed to be some kind of culinary genius."

Chuck so desperately wanted to shove the kid's foot where his mouth was, but luckily, someone beat him to it. "Yo, Fish!" an obvious upperclassman called from the row behind them. "Shut the hell up and pay attention. You're lucky you get to watch her duel at all. She's a legend for a reason."

Sarah looked up, directly at Chuck and shot him a smile. Chuck returned it, along with an encouraging nod and she went right back down to work, wrapping and tying the bacon around the loaf. Once that was in the oven, she pulled out a saucepan and began pouring together rice wine, and red wine, as well as a few other choice ingredients. Chuck had seen Sarah cook alone before. And, he'd seen her as she commanded a kitchen. Both times, he was impressed. But seeing her on the stage, racing against the clock and an opponent, Sarah was down right _scary_. It seemed like she did a million things at once, chopping up garnishes and other ingredients, reducing the sauce, preparing her plating.

By the hour and a half mark, Hugo Panzer was finished. He brought his plates up to the judges as the M.C. narrated. Sarah had even stopped what she was doing momentarily to watch the judges' reactions. After each one of them took a first bite, she noted the micro-expressions on each of the judges' faces. They were trained to give away as little as possible from their first impression. Sarah had saw their features twitch slightly. That was dangerous for her. They liked it. A lot. She knew. Before the judges began giving their comments on Panzer's dish, Sarah turned back to her own station and finished plating her meal.

By the time they had finished commenting on Panzer's dish, all of which were extremely high praises, Sarah's was ready. She walked them up to the judges as the M.C. announced her completion. She set the plates in front of each judge and stepped back as they cut into the dish. Once again, Sarah watched their expressions closely. They took their first bites and Sarah smiled mentally at the way their eyes widened ever so slightly. President Graham spoke first.

"Well, Chef Walker," he said, "it seems as though you haven't lost your touch at all. Please present."

"What I've made for you is a feaux porchetta. In lieu of a pork belly roll, I've used mushrooms, onions, and potatoes as the base of the loaf and wrapped it in extra thick bacon, tied with sprigs of rosemary to counter the salt of the bacon, slow roasting it on low to give it the full pork taste, while also allowing the crust of the bacon to become crispy. The sauce is a red and rice wine reduction with Worcestershire sauce to bring the flavor profile together."

"How innovative," Stanfield commentated. "A porchetta is not an Italian dished used often in competition because of how long it takes to marinate and roast, however, you've managed to deliver a delightful substitute that has the full flavor profile of a properly prepared porchetta."

"I agree," Beckman continued. "It was a risk doing a roast pork dish with bacon as your only source of pork, but you've managed to give a full flavor profile to this dish. This is a complete dish in itself, compared to a traditional porchetta that is generally eaten with something else." Sarah smiled and nodded politely at both the judges' comments before turning to listen to what Graham had to say.

"There's not much for me to say about this dish, other than it was a risk. It was a risk that was taken and paid off. You, Chef Walker, encompass what it means to be a chef. Innovation, creativity, passion. This dish is only an example of the legacy you've left behind here at the CIA. Well done."

"Thank you, sir." Hugo and Sarah stood side by side as the judges made their final decisions on whose dish they thought was best. From Sarah's point of view, it was a complete toss up. Both Panzer and herself got high marks on their dishes. It could go either way, really.

The M.C. gathered the results and spoke into the microphone. "The judges have made their decision. By unanimous decision, the winner of tonight's duel is… Sarah Walker." The crowd cheered and Sarah breathed a sigh of relief, smiling in victory.

She had to admit. She loved the rush of adrenaline that winning those duels gave her. She turned to shake Panzer's hand, who begrudgingly took her hand in his. Minutes later, a large case was rolled out and Sarah opened it, all those who'd had a knife taken from them came surging forward, eager to get their most prized possession back. Some of them came up to her, thanking her for winning them back. She'd taken a picture with a few students, and signed a few autographs, but mostly, she stood off to the side.

"That was insane," Chuck's voice came from behind and she smiled as she turned to him. They hugged briefly. "I'd never seen anything like that. You were like a machine, it was so awesome!" Sarah smiled brighter.

"Thanks, Chuck." Chuck couldn't have been more proud of Sarah than he was in that moment. Seeing her work, in the zone. It was different than her working in a kitchen with over ten other chefs, or cooking for fun. On that stage, she was a blur of tan and silver, moving so fast around her station, prepping and cooking, chopping and sautéing. It was absolutely mind-blowing how in-sync she was with the chaos around her.

"Chef Walker," a deep voice called out. Sarah turned to see Langston Graham walking toward her.

"President Graham," she greeted politely. They shook hands.

"Great work today," he said.

"Thank you, sir."

"You've grown since I first met you all those years ago. I'm proud to see the kind of chef you've become."

"Thank you."

"Keep up the work. I look forward to visiting you in Los Angeles."

"I look forward to it as well, sir."

"You have a good night," Graham finished before walking away. Chuck raised an eyebrow but Sarah replied with a smile. Wordlessly, he gestured for them to leave and they made their way back to the car to make the drive to their hotel.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The next morning, Sarah had woken up slowly, exhausted from the buzz she'd had the night before. Her hand was resting on something warm and she sleepily traced the shape, a vague thought of, _Chuck_ , ran through her mind as the rest of her body registered the heated presence behind her. She relaxed into the touch as Chuck's hand played with hers as well. Eventually, their fingers had gotten tangled with each other. Sighing lightly, Sarah turned her head, hoping to get a peek at Chuck's peaceful, sleeping face.

Only, he wasn't asleep. As soon as she turned her head, he lifted his and their eyes locked. The moment was intense, the air was charged, and any self-control was diluted by the haze of sleep that still muddled their senses. They surged forward until their lips crashed, hard and passionate.

The kiss was sloppy, their noses bumping every so often, their teeth knocking occasionally. Their hands clawed at each other, tangling themselves into each other's hair, feeling all around the other's body, holding each other closer.

Chuck pulled away first, because he couldn't actually believe that he was kissing Sarah Walker. And, because he'd run out of oxygen. They stared into each other's eyes, their foreheads pressed together, their noses brushing. Chuck couldn't help himself as she nuzzled her nose lightly, giving her an Eskimo kiss. Sarah leaned back lightly with a laugh. "Did you just…?"

He blushed as he nodded his answer. "I did. I couldn't help myself." Sarah laughed again, and leaned into him, resting her head across his chest, wrapping her arm around his middle. "I, um… Don't know if you've figured this out, but I really like you, Sarah," he said after a while. "I've liked you for a really long time, actually. Being around you… It just lights up my day. I like hearing you laugh, seeing you smile. Just… being with you would make me the happiest man on earth." From his position, Chuck could only see the top of Sarah's head so he couldn't gauge her reaction to his confession. She did, however, tighten her hold on his body as he spoke.

After a while, Sarah shifted again so that they were looking at each other again. "It would make me happy, too," was all she said before kissing him softly again. When they pulled apart, they smiled at each other, content with just laying in each other's arms.

Their morning didn't last forever, however. They had a checkout time at noon and a check-in time at three for their hotel in New York City. After breakfast, they spent their morning packing up their belongings back into their respective bags and going through the process of checking out. Before they hit the road, they dropped by the grocery store and picked up some snacks for the two-hour drive.

"So wait… You've _never_ had a Twinkie before?" Chuck asked incredulously when they got back to their rental and settled in for the long drive.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Sarah laughed as she buckled her seatbelt. Since she was the former New York native and knew the area much better than he did, she insisted that she drive them around when necessary.

"I mean… it's not… but… it's a _Twinkie_. Here." He dug down into the grocery bag that was sitting by his feet until he pulled out a packet that contained two yellow rolls. He opened it and held one of the rolls out to her.

Keeping her eyes on the road in front of her. Sarah reached out and took the Twinkie from his hand, taking a bite. "Huh… That's different. It's pretty good." Chuck beamed. He definitely wasn't expecting her to proclaim that it was the best thing in the world, but the fact that she liked it was good enough for him.

"Wait until you have them _fried_." He gushed before going into an anecdote about how one of his old co-workers at the Buy More once ate ninety Twinkies in three minutes.

Two hours of listening to a single person talk was enough to drive any person insane. At one point in her life, it probably would have driven _Sarah_ insane. But there was something so incredibly endearing about the man sitting beside her as he babbled on about stories from the Buy More and the unfortunate situations that he'd found himself when he worked at the electronics store chain.

Sarah was always a listener by nature. She preferred to sit in the back of the room and listen and absorb rather than be the center of attention. Since her childhood, though, she'd broken out of her shell more, getting more comfortable speaking to people and sharing her thoughts with others. Chuck, she could tell, was always a talker. He just seemed like the kind of guy that shared to connect and relate to people. He was a social butterfly. He was the complete opposite of her on the social spectrum and yet they found their way to each other and just clicked.

Halfway through the drive, their hands found each other over the center console and they didn't release their hold until Sarah had to focus on finding parking as they arrived in Hell's Kitchen in New York City. She managed to find a free parking space and the two stepped out on to the New York City streets.

"So, this is where you grew up, huh?" Chuck asked, zipping up his jacket.

"Yeah. My family's old apartment building is a couple blocks north of here, actually," Sarah said, an unsuspecting wave of nostalgia racking through her. Chuck's hand slid easily into hers, his large hand covering her smaller ones warmly and comfortably. She sent him a small smile and the two began walking.

"So… where are we headed?"

"Just some places that I'd really like you to see. And others that I'd been wanting to visit since I was in college."

Chuck couldn't possibly say no to that, learning more about Sarah's past. And that's exactly what he did. She'd shown him her old building, her old schools, some of the restaurants she'd worked at during her teenage years. It was the best time he'd had in a while, getting to know who Sarah was.

By the time they'd finished the Sarah Walker Memorial Tour, as Chuck had jokingly dubbed it, they went to their hotel and checked in. They carried their bags up to their room, and freshened up slightly before heading back out. They only had less than half a day to explore the rest of New York and do touristy things. They were due to fly out at noon on Monday so their morning would be spent in the airport. Saving Times Square for last when it was dark out and they could get the full effect, the first place Sarah took Chuck to was the Statue of Liberty, followed by Washington Square Park, and then Central Park. There, they'd stopped to get some hotdogs and ice cream from the various street vendors lining the sidewalks. As it got closer to sunset, Sarah took Chuck to the Empire State Building where they'd made it to the top floor just before the sun began setting.

"This was the best day," Chuck said from behind her as they watched the sun dip behind the New York skyline. "I had a lot of fun."

"I'm glad," Sarah replied, leaning into him. He had his arms around her and leaned his head forward so that his chin rested on the top of her head. "I had a lot of fun today, too." She could feel the shift in pressure from his head on top of hers and knew that he was smiling. He dropped a quick kiss into her hair and wrapped his arms tighter around her.

Sarah decided then and there that she wouldn't mind this for the rest of her life. Small moments and stolen displays of affection between the two of them. They had yet to officially label anything as of yet, but Sarah figured that if asked, she would definitely say that they were dating. Exclusively.

Chuck just brought a smile to her face whenever she saw him and apparently, from what he'd told her just that morning, he felt the same. But not only that, he'd taken the time to get to know her. _Her._ Not Sarah Walker: the famous chef or Sarah Walker: the boss, but Sarah Walker: the little girl who just liked to cook. He understood her in ways that not a lot of people did. She liked that. Liked knowing that someone cared about her enough to notice that she hated olives on pizzas or that she loved rocky road ice cream, but only the kind with real marshmallows in it.

Already, she knew a relationship with Chuck would be different from any other relationship she'd been in and she knew she couldn't wait to see this one unfold.

* * *

And there you go! I hope you're all happy.

The cooking duel thing was taken from the anime _Shokugeki No Soma,_ which is what originally inspired me to write this story so...

Btw, the semester has picked up again so please bear with me. I'll try my hardest to keep to this every-other-week posting schedule as best as I can but I'm taking 18 hours this semester so I'll be super busy. Thanks for understanding!

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	13. Chuck Versus the First Date

Why hello there! Are you ready for the next update? Goondess... I'm getting scarily close to my "work-in-progress" chapter. Hopefully I don't catch up so that I can keep these biweekly updates.

 **Disclaimer:** I still don't own Chuck. As much as it pains me... I don't.

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the First Date**

"It's about damn time!" Zondra exclaimed when Chuck and Sarah walked into the restaurant Tuesday afternoon, hand-in-hand. She had a smug smirk on her face, her hands on her hips. Chuck grinned widely and Sarah rolled her eyes. "I'm guessing New York was especially fun, huh?" At that, the couple blushed furiously.

"What? No– I– we didn't–"

"Zondra! Why would you– No– We didn't–"

The two stuttered broken replies and denials, talking over each other. The brunette chef laughed. "I'm messing with you," she said when they stopped their babbling. "I could care less about your sex life. But, I am glad that you two are together." She hugged them both and walked away, leaving Chuck and Sarah alone.

Once they gathered their composure, the two disappeared into Sarah's office. "So now Zondra knows," Chuck began. Sarah nodded.

"And I'm sure that the whole staff will know by opening," she reasoned.

"And you're okay with that?" Chuck asked hesitantly, as though he didn't really want to hear the answer.

"I mean… I don't know. We just got together two days ago. We haven't even been on a first date, yet. I would like to be on more solid footing before telling everyone."

Chuck nodded in agreement. "Absolutely. I feel the same way." He swallowed. "Um... Well, since we're both still technically off today, would you like to go on that date with me tonight?"

Sarah smiled. "Yes." Chuck returned the smile with his own, the one he reserved especially for her.

"Great. I'll pick you up at eight," he said. He gave her a chaste kiss and left her office to go check on the computer servers. Sarah smiled at his retreating form and booted up her computer to look at the numbers from when she was in New York and update the books with the new information.

When Chuck finished his routine check on the computer servers, he dropped by Sarah's office to tell her that he was heading out and that he'd see her later that night. Chuck went straight home in only a slight panic. He had no idea what he was going to do for his and Sarah's first date. He kind of just asked on a whim and of course she'd say yes. Why wouldn't she say yes? They were already dating-ish. Did it count as dating if they'd never been on a date?

Well, it didn't matter. They were going on a date that night. Which brought him full circle. What were they going to do?

He got home and was relieved that Ellie was there. "Hey, Sis," he greeted.

"Hey, Chuck," she smiled from her position on the couch. "How was New York?" Chuck and Sarah's flight had gotten delayed by two hours on Monday and by the time Sarah had dropped him off at his apartment, Ellie and Devon had already left for their shifts at the hospital.

"It was good," he said, dropping his keys in the ceramic bowl by the door. "You told me so," he added, beating Ellie to the punch. Ellie, ever the genius, understood what he was trying to say immediately. She hopped up from her seat and rushed to him, giving him a bear hug, not bothering to conceal her squeal of joy.

"That's so great! How? When? Details! I want details!" She paused. "Wait. Maybe I don't want details. Do I want details?" Chuck rolled his eyes.

"I'll tell you about it while you help me pick out what to wear for our date tonight," he compromised. Ellie beamed, dragging Chuck to his room. Chuck sat on his bed, relaying everything that happened over the weekend in New York, while Ellie stood in his closet looking over and judging all of his outfits.

The moment brought him back to when they were teenagers. Once in a blue moon, he would get the courage to ask a girl out and by some miracle she'd say yes. Then, he'd tell Ellie and she'd help him plan out his outfit, what to do for the date, everything. Was it sad that Chuck went to his older sister for girlfriend advice? Some would say it wase. Chuck didn't care. Ellie was his rock. She'd always had been. Ellie handed him a black button down and blue jeans.

"I'm so happy for you, little brother," she said as she and Chuck switched places, her sitting on his bed while he disappeared into his closet to change his shirt. "Sarah is a great girl. A definite step up from Jill. I really like her for you, Chuck." Chuck reappeared, dressed, buttoning the last button on his shirt.

"Thanks, Sis. I really like her for me, too," he joked.

"So where are you planning on taking her?" she asked.

"I'm thinking maybe this Chinese place that Morgan recommended," he said.

"What? No!" Ellie exclaimed.

"What?"

"Chuck, you can't have your first date be a _Morgan recommendation_."

"Why not? It's good food for under ten dollars." Ellie rolled her eyes.

"It's also classless and gross in most of those places," she argued. "Definitely _not_ first date material. Trust me. I'm a girl. I know what girls like."

"Aye, aye, Captain," he quipped with a mock salute.

After discussing the pros and cons of various restaurants, Chuck and Ellie had finally chosen _El Compadre,_ a nearby Mexican restaurant that served really good margaritas and fajitas.

"Don't forget to drop by the store and pick up some flowers!" Ellie called out as Chuck was getting ready to leave.

"Yes, mom," Chuck joked good-naturedly. Ellie stopped him and smoothed out his shirt.

"Aces, Charles," she said in a soft, loving tone. "Aces." Chuck smiled softly, pulling his sister into a hug.

"A dad quote… I'm impressed." The siblings shared a sad smiled as they remembered their father. "I love you, Sis." Ellie gave him one last hug before letting him go.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Chuck showed up to Sarah's apartment at exactly eight o'clock. When she opened the door, he smiled and lifted up a bouquet of gardenias. Sarah gave him a wide-eyed look "How did you know?" she asked as she accepted the bouquet from him.

"Come on… Who do you think I am?"

"It's beautiful," she said. "Thank you." She invited him into her apartment while she searched for a vase to put the flowers in. Sarah walked back out with the bouquet arranged in a vase full of water. She set it on her vanity and grabbed her purse. "Ready?"

"Absolutely."

"Then let's go." The two exited the building to Chuck's car and he drove them to El Compadre. They sat across from each other in the booth when they were seated and looked through the menu. "So what's good here?" Sarah asked as she turned a page.

"Pretty much everything," Chuck shrugged. "I've had nearly everything on the menu. It's all fantastic." They both chose their drinks and ordered their meals before the conversation picked up again. Most people would have considered the silence awkward and would have guessed that the date wasn't going well, but the silence between Chuck and Sarah was more of a comfortable silence, one that spoke to their familiarity with each other. Conversation wasn't a need to fill in an empty space.

"So, you come here often?" Sarah asked, referencing Chuck's earlier comment, once the waitress left them.

"Ellie and I used to come here to celebrate any major milestone back when this was the fanciest place we could afford," he told her. "Now we do it for sentimental reasons." Sarah smiled. Most people would think that it was weird how close Chuck was with his sister, but Sarah found it endearing. She knew very little about Chuck's upbringing, but she knew that his parents weren't around and that Ellie was the essentially the one that raised him.

"That's sweet," she said. A smirk grew on her face. "So… Our first date is a _major milestone_?" she teased.

"Absolutely. It's not everyday that a guy like me gets to go out with… you know… you." Chuck's confidence tapered off at the end and Sarah decided she wanted to push the teasing a bit further, loving to see him flustered.

"What about me?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"You know…" She simply blinked at him, pretending not to understand what he was trying to say. "You're really gonna make me say it," he realized. "Okay. Yeah. Fine. A girl like you. Or, more appropriately, a woman like you," he said, the mood shifting from playful to serious in just a few short words. "You, Sarah Walker, are smart, cool, kind hearted, funny, an open book and a complete enigma at the same time, and of course, extremely beautiful. You are a complete badass in your own right and… and… you can stop me anytime, you know, with the compliments, if they're becoming too much," he finished turning the mood back to playful as quickly as it turned serious.

"No, no. That was very sweet," Sarah said, a blush dusting her cheeks.

"Sweet? Golly gee, thanks for making me feel like I'm eight," Chuck laughed.

"You are most certainly not eight," Sarah said with a smile. Then, she got serious. "Chuck, I have one condition if we're going to make this relationship work." Chuck blinked.

"Uhhh… And what would that be?"

"I don't want you belittling yourself," she said. "You're a great guy and I don't want you lessening yourself for anything or anyone, including me. If one of us is lucky in this relationship, it's me." Chuck smiled.

"I guess we're both lucky, then," he compromised. Their food arrived just then, ending the conversation.

They spent the rest of dinner making small talk, finding out more about each other and testing the new dynamic of their relationship. It was interesting, Chuck decided. He absolutely loved the fact that he could reach out and hold Sarah's hand whenever he felt like it. He could stare at her while she ate, the calculating gaze in her eyes telling him that she was judging the food on her plate. Sometimes he wished that she would just sit back and enjoy the meal, but he knew that it came second nature to her to find ways to improve dishes.

"What?" Sarah asked, breaking Chuck out of his reverie.

"What?" he responded.

"You were staring at me," she stated obviously.

Chuck shrugged. "And I can't stare? Have you looked at yourself in the mirror at all lately? You, Sarah Walker, are most definitely 'stare worthy.'" At Sarah's blush, Chuck felt very pleased with himself at his accomplishment. She dropped the subject and went back to criticizing her plate. Chuck went back to watching her criticize her plate.

"You're doing it again," Sarah said after a while without looking up.

"What?"

"Staring." Chuck rolled his eyes.

"You're judging your plate," he countered. Sarah looked up at him. "It's cute." Sarah shot him an amused look.

"You think that me judging a plate of food is cute?" she questioned. He shrugged in reply.

"Sure. I mean, your eyes narrow and you take these really small bites. And you get this really contemplative look on your face. Like you're trying to figure out just what's wrong with it. I don't even think you realize you're doing it, sometimes."

Sarah blinked. "You… noticed all of that?"

"I notice everything you do," Chuck replied without really thinking about it. When he realized what he'd said, he winced and tried for a smile but it probably came out more like a grimace. Sarah, on the other hand, smiled for real. One that obviously said, _I can't believe he just said that. He probably wasn't even trying to be smooth. And that just makes it even better._

After they finished their meal, which Chuck paid for despite Sarah's protests, they decided to walk to a nearby club.

"My old neighbor works as a bartender there," Chuck said as a fun fact.

"So… discounts on drinks?" Sarah joked.

"Ha! Funny. Maybe. We'll see. Kayla's pretty on and off about whether or not she wants to give out a discount."

"Kayla, huh?" Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Do I need to be worried?" Chuck frowned in confusion before realizing what she meant.

"What? No. Of course not!" He took her hand in his and interlaced their fingers. "Maybe I had a crush on her when she lived across the courtyard but that ship has sailed. Like. Ages ago. So, no. No worries there."

"Good," Sarah said, leaning into him, her free hand wrapping around his bicep so that she was effectively hugging his arm. Chuck smiled his widest smile when he was sure that Sarah couldn't see his face.

They'd made it into the club and Chuck directed them toward bar where he ordered himself a beer and Sarah a mojito. Kayla apparently wasn't working that night so Chuck paid for their drinks in full. It didn't really matter anyway. They grabbed a seat on a couch and watched the people in the crowd dance to the live band playing on the stage.

Chuck was telling her about the band and how they were recently signed and how excited he was for them. He'd discovered them years ago when he happened to catch one of their shows in a bar.

Sarah simply listened to Chuck talk, because she just loved to listen to him talk about the things he was passionate about. She allowed herself to loosen up with each sip of her mojito, leaning into him so that his arm was wrapped around her shoulders. Despite the fact that she'd already finished a margarita on top of the current alcoholic beverage, Sarah only had a nice buzz going on; she was pretty good at holding down her liquor and with the heavy dinner she'd just eaten, the alcohol hadn't taken much of an effect. When there was a lull in the conversation, Sarah placed their drinks down on a nearby table and stood. "Let's dance," she said over the loudness of the music, pulling Chuck to his feet.

"I'm not much of a dancer," Chuck protested weakly before allowing himself to be pulled to the dance floor. Chuck moved around awkwardly while Sarah let herself go. She knew that Chuck wouldn't try anything inappropriate with her and she trusted him to take care of her if things got too out of hand, not that she would let them get out of hand in the first place. She knew, however, that moving around so much after drinking would speed up the effects of the alcohol, despite how much of a heavyweight she was.

She hadn't danced in a club since college. Her, Zondra, Carina, and even Amy were frequent visitors to the nearby clubs and bars over the weekend whenever there wasn't a major assignment due at the beginning of the week. But even then, she wasn't exactly the type to sidle up to a guy and dance with no inhibitions. She always stuck close to Zondra as the two weren't as wild and carefree as Carina and Amy.

But now, being in a club with Chuck, she could allow herself to be carefree because she knew that Chuck would be respectful of her. She could tell that he was getting a tad bit uncomfortable with the display she was most likely putting on. He had an awkward smile on his face and his cheeks resembled tomatoes when she placed his hands on her hips. Sarah smiled at him and that seemed to give him some confidence as his smile became surer and his movement became a little bit smoother.

Eventually, the two tired out and decided to call it a night and left the club in fits of laughter. "This was honestly the most fun that I've had in years," Sarah said as they climbed into Chuck's car.

"I'm glad you enjoyed," Chuck smiled genuinely. "I can definitely say that this was one of the better dates I've been on."

"Oh yeah? And which one of the other dates you've been on could possibly top this one?" Sarah asked. It wasn't normal for her to be so forward about that stuff; hell, she was practically fishing. It was downright out of character. She blamed it on the alcohol. Chuck coughed, obviously surprised by her question.

"Uhh… Is that… appropriate? To be talking about that?" he stammered.

"You brought it up," she countered. Chuck cleared his throat.

"Well, I mean… It was so long ago… And, you know…"

"Chuck," Sarah interrupted before he could start spiraling. "Just tell me. I'm not testing you or anything. I'm just curious. Promise." Chuck hesitated before he acquiesced.

"It was in college. My freshman year. There was this girl in my economics class that was… every nerd's dream girl. She was smart, beautiful, and was into text-based video games. I didn't think a girl like her existed. Anyway, we became friends after we got paired for a project and by sophomore year, I finally got the courage to ask her out. We, uh... we went to the carnival and it was a great night. We rode all the rides and on the Ferris wheel, when we stopped at the top, she kissed me." Chuck broke out of the memory and gave Sarah a weak smile. "Sorry. Ellie always tells me not to bring Jill up," he apologized, scratching the back of his head.

"No, no it's fine. I asked," Sarah said. "It's just… You seemed sad at the memory for a bit."

"It's not the memory, per say. But Jill… We didn't end too well. My senior year… I found her cheating on me. With my roommate. I found them in bed. At least it wasn't my bed." Sarah's eyes went wide at the story. What kind of person did that? And to _Chuck_ , no less. Chuck, the nicest, sweetest, most considerate guy she'd ever met. The guy who put everyone above himself. Sarah took that moment and swore that she would never hurt Chuck the way his bitch of an ex did. She would spend her days trying to rid him of that pain.

At that moment, Chuck pulled up to her apartment building, parked in a space and got out. Ever the gentleman – and because Ellie would have his head if she found out he didn't walk her all the way to her door – Chuck followed Sarah up her unit. When they stood in front of her door, Chuck spoke up. "I'm sorry for ending the night on a depressing note," he said. Sarah watched him as he seemed to kick himself for bringing up Jill and bringing down the mood after a great night.

"Who said the night has to end now?" she asked, deciding that she wanted it to end with Chuck confident in himself and their budding relationship. Sure enough, he looked at Sarah with wide eyes. She turned and unlocked the door, pushing it open.

"What?"

"You heard me," she said. "Come on." Chuck blinked at her as she left him standing in the hallway, the door still wide open before him. He hesitated for a second before following her into her room, shutting the door behind him. The apartment was empty but the light in Sarah's bathroom was on so he figured that she was in there. He sat on the couch nervously. There were a million different scenarios and reasons as to why Sarah would invite him in, but only one kept coming around. He took in the apartment and saw the little accents that personalized the space, marking it as Sarah's, but also found bits of Zondra as well. "Oh, good. You actually came in," Sarah's voice brought him back to reality. When he realized that Sarah was wearing yoga pants and a T-shirt, he mentally sighed in relief.

As much as he wanted to have sex with her, he also wanted to take the relationship a bit slower than he usually would. He'd rushed into a relationship with Jill (once they actually had a relationship to rush into) and look at where that ended. Besides, both he and Sarah had quite a bit to drink that night and even though they'd sobered up, for the most part, he didn't want their first time to be while they were slightly buzzed. Or pity sex because he couldn't keep his sob story about his ex to himself.

"So I was thinking," she said as she sat beside him on he couch. "We could watch a movie. Your pick."

Chuck blinked at that. "Uhhh. Yeah. Sure. What, uh, what movies do you have?" Sarah smiled brightly at him before handing him the remote control for the television.

"Whatever's on demand," she replied. Chuck turned on the television and scrolled though the movie list before settling on _Mannequin_. It was an oldie, but a goodie. And, it was a comedy so that was always a good thing. The two settled more into the couch as the movie began, Sarah leaning into Chuck as her feet tucked under her body. As Chuck allowed his arm to rest on Sarah, his hand stroking up and down her arm, he decided that this date and possibly any date he'd have with Sarah would top any date he'd ever had with Jill. He placed a chaste kiss onto the top of Sarah's head and leaned further into the couch.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Chuck woke up the next morning to the sound of his phone buzzing violently in his pocket. He took a second to take in his surroundings and after a brief moment of panic at realizing he wasn't in his own room, it hit him that he was still in Sarah's. The on demand movie screen was up on the television, letting him know that they'd must've fallen asleep during the movie. He tried to get up so that he could reach his phone in his back pocket but was met with resistance in the form of a sleeping blonde lying on top of him. The buzzing in his pocket had long since stopped and he was good to just leave it be, until it started up again. Groaning lightly and shifting ever so slightly so as to not disturb Sarah, Chuck reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone to see seven missed calls from Ellie.

 _Shit._

When the phone started ringing again, Chuck answered. "Hello?" he greeted in a tentative whisper.

"Chuck! What the hell? Where are you? You've been gone _all night!_ You don't answer any of my calls or reply to my texts. I've been worried sick! I even called _Morgan_ ," Ellie began.

"Hey Chuck!" He could here his best friend greet him through the phone.

"Where are you?" Ellie asked, ignoring Morgan in the background.

"I'm at Sarah's," he replied quietly. He froze when he felt said blonde shift in his arms. Her hold on him tightened slightly and he couldn't say that he didn't enjoy that. "We were watching a movie and fell asleep." Ellie didn't really have much to say to that piece of information and she remained silent on the other end of the line. "El?"

"Huh? Oh. Right. Chuck, you still should have told me, instead of let me worry."

"I'm sorry, Sis."

"It's fine. I'm sorry for being such a big pest."

"You're not a pest. You're my big sister. You have a right to worry." Chuck could feel Ellie smile on the other end of the line.

"Well, I'll let you get back to enjoying your morning with Sarah. Love you, Chuck."

"I love you, too." With that, Chuck hung up and placed his phone on the floor.

"That's not your other girlfriend is it?" came Sarah's mumbled voice as she came into consciousness.

"Oh, absolutely. She was wondering why I didn't come home last night. She thinks I'm cheating on her."

"Well aren't you the player," Sarah chuckled lightly. "Ellie?" she asked, ending their banter.

"Yeah. I woke up to seven missed calls and eleven missed messages."

"Yikes." They both sat up on the couch and Chuck gave Sarah a proper good morning kiss.

"I really enjoyed last night," he said. "Best. Date. Ever." Sarah smiled brightly at that. They kissed once more.

"Ugh. You guys are sickeningly cute. Like, I'm gonna get diabetes just watching you."

The couple turned to see Zondra standing at the end of the hallway with her arms crossed.

"Hey Zondra," Chuck smiled. "What time did you get in?"

"Sometime after the two of you fell asleep on the couch," she said, walking into the kitchen. "I'm taking a day off, Sarah," she called, her voice muffled slightly, signaling that she had her head in the refrigerator.

"That's fine. I wanted to get back into the kitchen for a bit anyway," Sarah called back.

"By the way, I heard about your return to the stage," Zondra said as she walked back into the living room, biting into an apple. "You beat out the guy who was gunning for your record. Way to go." The roommates shared a high five. Word spread around the CIA like a wildfire. Sarah had no doubt Zondra would find out about her duel eventually. She was sure that, wherever she was, Carina probably knew about it already, too.

They went into a conversation of what it was like to be in another food battle and Chuck was content just to listen to them. They spoke animatedly with hand gestures and everything. He imagined that this was what it was like for them when they were roommates in college: gushing over each other's latest win in a food battle. Gradually, throughout Sarah and Zondra's conversation, Sarah had gravitated toward Chuck so that she was practically sitting on his lap. Chuck had absolutely no complaints.

"But seriously, the feeling was great, you know?" Sarah said. "And all the students who'd only heard stories about me from the upperclassmen…" She let the end of her sentence hand and let Zondra make her own assumptions.

"God, what I would give to get back on that stage and kick some ass," Zondra replied wistfully. "We should do something like that at the restaurant!"

"What? A food battle?"

"Yeah. You know, like an exhibition or something every once in a while. It would be cool." Sarah appeared to think about it, a smile growing on her face.

"That would be interesting indeed," she agreed. "We could also have a recipe competition when we decide on new menu items."

"Yes!" They launched into another animated conversation about the plans that they had for the restaurant and how they would go about doing what they planned.

Chuck rolled his eyes in amusement and got up from the couch and made his way into the kitchen. He was nowhere near on par with the skill of the two women in the living room, but with Sarah's cooking lessons, he could now hold his own in the kitchen and was confident enough in his skills to cook them a decent breakfast, which is exactly what he did. Whether the two women realized what he was doing or not, they didn't say anything about it, letting him to cook in peace.

Soon, three plates of food were ready and sitting on the table. That was when Sarah and Zondra appeared. "You cooked," Sarah smirked.

"I did. I do that now," he said with a crooked smile. The three of them sat down and started eating. Chuck carefully watched, not only Sarah's, but Zondra's reaction as well, to his food. Two professional chefs were food that he'd prepared and he was nervous to know what they thought.

"It's good, Chuck. Good job," Sarah praised. Chuck felt himself sit up straighter in confidence.

"Yeah. I thought you said you were crap in the kitchen," Zondra snickered.

"I've gotten better," Chuck protested. "I've got a great teacher." He winked at Sarah who, to his surprise and pleasure, blushed. When they finished eating, Chuck gathered their plates and went to work cleaning them.

"Chuck, what are you doing?" Sarah asked, following him into the kitchen.

"I'm washing the dishes."

"You don't have to do that," she replied. "I'll do it. You already cooked."

"Nah, I got it," he insisted. "You forget that I'm a Bartowski. We live to clean," he joked. Sarah laughed and stood behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her head on his back. She stood like that, silently, just waiting for Chuck to finish. As he set the final dish onto the drying rack, he dried his hands off and spun so that he was hugging Sarah back. He kissed the top of her head. "Hey, so… I gotta head home before Ellie blows a gasket."

"Alright," Sarah said. They kissed briefly. "I'll see you at work?"

"Absolutely." They kissed once more and Chuck left, leaving Sarah alone with Zondra. The brunette stood in the doorway to the kitchen her arms crossed over her chest, a smirk on her face.

"Like I said: diabetes," she said. Sarah rolled her eyes at her friend and moved to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Chuck showed up to _Il Castello_ and went straight into his office to drop off his stuff before heading out to the front of the house where some of the servers were already prepping for opening. "Hey guys!" he greeted as he passed them to get to his station.

"And there he is… The legend himself: Chuck Bartowski," Skip called, getting everyone's attention. Chuck's brow dipped in confusion.

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Is it true?" Josie, another one of the servers, asked him. "Are you and Sarah really together?"

Chuck blinked. _Of course Zondra told everyone._ He gave a nervous smile and that was all the confirmation they needed apparently.

"Yes! I was right! Pay up, suckers," Manoosh smirked holding his hand out to collect his winnings.

"Wait, what? You guys were betting on us?"

"Of course we were, you idiot," Mei-Ling Cho spoke up. "It was pretty obvious the two of you had a thing for each other. It was only a matter of time, really." Chuck blinked again.

"I don't believe it," he breathed.

"Neither do I," Josie spoke up. "I thought you wouldn't have the balls to ask her out this soon. I had another two months or so before I figured you guys got together." Chuck, starting to feel uncomfortable, chuckled awkwardly.

"Alright… Well, I'm glad that's all settled. We really should get back to work now," Chuck said.

"Yeah," Lazlo spoke up. "We wouldn't want Chuck to be spending the night on the couch tonight," he said in a joking manner. Everyone laughed at the good-natured ribbing before dispersing back to their assigned jobs. Chuck still stood in place, his face a deep scarlet.

When Chuck finally finished setting places in his station, he made his way to his office to just relax before the restaurant opened for business. On his way there, he was stopped by John Casey. "Hey John," Chuck greeted amicably. Casey had a hard look on his face and just the look he gave Chuck alone was enough to pin the younger man down. "What's up?" Chuck asked a little more nervously.

"You watch yourself, Loverboy," Casey said in a low, stern voice. "Walker's like a little sister to me. You break her heart, I break your everything." Chuck, thoroughly intimidated, gulped and nodded vigorously. Satisfied, Casey stepped back and walked away.

Once Casey disappeared around the corner, Chuck released a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding in. "You okay?" a familiar voice asked, getting his attention. He snapped to attention and saw Sarah standing in front of her office door with an amused smile on her face. "You look like you've been staring down the barrel of a gun," she chuckled.

"It sure feels like I have," he said. Sarah raised a curious brow. "I just had a talk with Casey," Chuck explained. "He essentially told me that he would kill me if I ever broke your heart. And, for the record, I wasn't planning on it." Sarah rolled her eyes and laughed lightly, gesturing for Chuck to step into her office. He obliged and she closed the door behind him.

"Casey's always been overprotective. Don't worry about him," she assured.

"Oh, and also, apparently the wait staff had an ongoing bet over when we'd get together. They said that it was super obvious we liked each other and that it was only a matter of time."

"Is that so?" Sarah looked contemplative. "Who won?" Chuck frowned.

"Manoosh," he told her, unsure why that would matter. The fact that she was taking this like it was no big deal was a little weird to Chuck.

"Lucky man." The look on Chuck's face must have been hilarious because Sarah started laughing. Chuck's frown deepened in confusion, which only caused Sarah to laugh harder. When she calmed down, she took a seat beside him on the couch in her office and held his hand. "Relax, Chuck," she said. "They know. There's nothing we can do about it. Best thing to do now is play along and have fun with it. I honestly don't care if they know we're together. You shouldn't either."

Chuck didn't really care that people knew he was with Sarah. He was just flustered at the fact that his love life was work gossip. No one ever really cared much for his love life before – barring Ellie, Devon, and Morgan – so it was new territory to have everyone at his place of work be in his business. "It's just… weird that people talk about it," he said.

"I know, but whatever, right?" Sarah shrugged.

"I guess."

"Great," she smiled and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "Now, come on. We've got work to do."

* * *

And there you have it! I hope it was enjoyable! I read a couple reviews that were unsatisfied with the vagueness of where their relationship stood in the last chapter. I hope this helps a bit.

Just to let you know... I do read the reviews you guys give me. And I know I don't reply to you guys... (because life and stuff) But, I want you to know that I take them to heart. And, that I'm open to suggestions and tips and things like that. I just want to take this time to thank you all for supporting me and this story. So, even if I don't respond with a pm or something, know that I _do_ read them. :)

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	14. Chuck Versus the Girls

Man... This week has been killer. Five exams in five days. I just want to sleep. But I have to get this chapter to you! So here it is!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Chuck. I probably never will.

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the Girls**

There was a knock on the door to the Bartowski/Woodcomb residence. With Devon working a shift at the hospital and Chuck in the shower, Ellie was the only one available to answer.

"Sarah!" she greeted amicably when the door opened to reveal her brother's girlfriend.

"Hey, Ellie," Sarah smiled, hugging her boyfriend's sister. "How have you been?" She stepped into the apartment as Ellie moved aside to make way and the two women sat on the couch.

"Oh, you know. Residency. Patients. Surgeries. The usual. But I enjoy it so it's not as bad as it seems." Sarah smiled.

"That's good."

"Oh, Sarah, by the way, I've been meaning to ask. You're coming to our Christmas party, right?"

"Yeah. Chuck told me about it. I will be there. Actually, I still need to go Christmas shopping," the blonde said.

"Really? Maybe I can join you? I've still got a couple of gifts I need to get, too." Sarah smiled. She'd been wanting to spend more time with Ellie, especially now that her and Chuck were officially together.

Sarah remembered when Chuck had brought Sarah to dinner and looked like she was about to burst with happiness. After dinner, Ellie had asked her to spill the details. How it happened? When? Where? Classic girl talk. Chuck had told Ellie to tone it down but Sarah happily indulged the older Bartowski in the girl talk, effectively kicking Chuck and Devon into the living room while the girls inhabited the kitchen.

As much as she loved Zondra, her best friend wasn't exactly the mushy, talk-about-your-feelings type of girl. Sure she was a great confidant, but she wasn't someone to just talk nonsense or gossip or anything. It was nice to just _gush_ to Ellie and have Ellie respond just as enthusiastically.

"I'd love that," she said.

"Great! How about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is great! I can't wait."

"Can't wait for what?" Chuck's voice drifted into the living room. He was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and his hair was still damp from his shower.

"Sarah and I are going to have a girls day out," Ellie told him.

"Oh yeah?" Chuck walked over and sat down beside Sarah, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah," Sarah affirmed. "I've been wanting to spend more time with your sister. You know, bond, get to know her better… Maybe… Hear some embarrassing childhood stories about you…" At the last statement, Chuck's face paled and he chuckled nervously, one corner of his mouth lifting in a hesitant smile. The look made Sarah's heart flutter; she had to use all her willpower to keep from biting her lip and keep the innocent look on her face.

"Really? Is shopping really a… a good idea?"

"Of course it is! Weren't you saying the other day that you hoped that me and Ellie would be close? What better way than to bond over the man that we both love and care about?"

"Well… Yeah… But–"

"So it's perfect." Sarah turned back to Ellie and gave her a furtive wink. Ellie managed to hold back a giggle – but only barely – and returned the wink.

"Well, I've got to get ready for my shift tonight, but Sarah, I will see you tomorrow," Ellie said standing up from the couch.

"I'm looking forward to it." Ellie left the living room, leaving the couple alone. Sarah turned back toward Chuck and was surprisingly delighted to see that he was still a little pale, probably thinking up different scenarios that ended with him being so embarrassed that he'd probably bury his head in the sand for the next decade.

"Hey, uhh… You weren't serious about the, uh, the embarrassing stories, right?" he asked. Sarah shrugged.

"Who knows? I'm sure it'll come up at some point," Sarah answered vaguely. Chuck gave that same hesitant smile. It was then that Sarah couldn't keep up with the act. She dissolved into giggles and leaned into her boyfriend, wrapping her arm around his waist. "I'm messing with you, Chuck," she said. "Ellie and I are just going Christmas shopping. There's nothing to be worried about." She leaned in and kissed him. Chuck returned the kiss enthusiastically. When they broke apart, Sarah smiled. "But, today, you and I are gonna have a day in."

"Perfect." They settled further into the couch as Chuck reached for the remote to turn on the television.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

"I'm so glad we get to do this," Ellie said as they walked into the Burbank Town Center.

"Same here. Between your busy schedule and mine, we never have time to just spend time together. Bond," Sarah agreed. The handful of times she did get to interact with Ellie, Sarah found herself loving the older Bartowski's company just as much as she did Chuck's. The two siblings were so alike in their nature: kind, caring, loving, good people but were _so_ different in their personalities; Ellie was strong and very take-charge while Chuck was more of a relaxed, go-with-the-flow kind of guy.

"Well, we're here now so let's make the most of it," Ellie said, surveying the stores in their direct vicinity.

"Absolutely."

"So how much shopping do you still need to get done?" Ellie asked, changing the topic.

Sarah gave a sheepish smile as she answered, "All of it." Ellie blinked.

"You're kidding, right?" she asked in shock.

"Uhhh… No. Unfortunately not." At Ellie's look, Sarah added. "I've been busy! And to be fair, I didn't know that I would be doing Christmas with you guys this year."

"Alright. Duly noted," Ellie conceded. "But we have quite the day ahead of us."

Sarah looked around at all the various retail stores around them in apprehension. "That we do. Where do we even start?"

The first person they decided to shop for, because he was a 'no-brainer,' was Morgan. The brunette led the way to Hot Topic and the two women stood in front of the blackened everything of the store. "Uhh… Ellie? Don't you think this store is a bit too… emo for Morgan?"

"You'd be surprised," Ellie replied. "Hot Topic is kind of like a nerd heaven. They've got merchandise for movies, books, video games, you name it. That includes superheroes. Anything superhero related, especially if it's Marvel, is a safe bet. But if you find something _Star Wars_ related, then you're golden." Most of what Ellie said was lost on Sarah, but they managed to find a couple of _Star Wars_ things inside that Ellie was sure Morgan would love. Sarah made the purchase and the two were off.

They shopped for Devon next, which was fairly simple. They went to a sporting goods store to pick out his gift. Sarah knew quite a bit about outdoor sports, they'd had their fair share of conversations over rock climbing, hiking, white water rafting, and other things of the like, so she got him something that she knew he'd appreciate.

Casey and his family were easier to shop for since she knew them from before her move to Los Angeles. She thought of his family as her own at times, Casey being like an older brother or protective uncle type figure in her life. She wasn't surprised that they were invited to the Bartowski Family Christmas Party seeing as they lived right across the courtyard and had gotten close to the two Bartowski siblings and Devon since moving there.

Zondra was easy, too – duh. Sarah had to admit that she was glad that the invitation was extended to her best friend. Because she'd moved here to Los Angeles, there wasn't any family for the brunette chef to spend the holidays with. Sarah was excited to be able to spend Christmas with her. They'd never been able to do it before because Zondra would travel back to her family for the holidays when they were in college while Sarah stayed in New York with her family. And then there was the whole debacle senior year that needed not be repeated. They were moving on from it. No more mentioning it. Christmas together was a first for them and Sarah was so happy that they get to have that experience.

All throughout their shopping, Sarah and Ellie chatted, catching up on each other's lives. Before they knew it, they were at the food court eating lunch, Sarah listening intently to the hospital gossip and case stories that Ellie had to offer.

"I'm serious! I can't tell you names or anything like hat because of HIPAA laws, but I once had a patient come in with a fork stuck in her neck. It was absolutely crazy. I worked with our plastic surgeon because, you know, it was in her neck."

"I thought you were neurology?" Sarah wondered.

"I am, but the fork was near the back toward the spinal cord so there was a possibility of nerve damage that could lead to paralysis from the neck down. Neurology extends from the brain to the entire nervous system," Ellie explained.

Sarah was completely invested in the story. It was so interested to hear about another profession that dealt with knives, but without food. The way that Ellie spoke about her most recent case had her completely enraptured. She thought that maybe she could've been a doctor if she didn't want to be a chef.

Then she thought about the long shifts and the late nights and laughed at herself. She couldn't be a doctor. Nope. But, she tipped her hat to them. Mad respect for the people who _could_ handle that and save lives in the process.

By the time Ellie finished her story and started cleaning their table, Sarah saw the other woman in a whole new light. She knew Ellie Bartowski was a doctor. But, it didn't hit her – like, _really_ hit her – until then that she _cut into people_ and _saved their lives_. She'd probably seen some crazy things in the ER during the night shift – the story about fork lady was proof about that. She'd probably lost some people on the table. But that didn't stop her. Ellie kept going. Doing her best to save her next patient.

Sarah wasn't sure she could handle knowing that she wasn't able to save a patient and her respect for the older woman blew sky high.

Soon, they were moving on to the next store, Ellie asking Sarah about her life before LA. So Sarah told her. She gave her the happy Cliffnotes version of her studies at the CIA – leaving out the debacle with Zondra – _they were moving on._ Then she talked about her move to Italy. Ellie hung onto every word about her life in Italy and what it was like to win those three Michelin Stars.

"It was definitely a whirlwind after winning the first one," the blonde said as she inspected a top. They'd taken a break from shopping for others and decided to indulge themselves a bit. "After news got around, the restaurant got more and more patrons. With such a high influx of customers, it wasn't long before another Michelin Star reviewer came around again." Ellie shook her head in disbelief.

"That's incredible." Sarah shrugged.

"I guess," she said as she placed the hanger back on the rack. "But at the same time, I didn't really enjoy it."

"What do you mean?"

"All I did in Italy was work. The only people I really knew were the people that I worked with. I didn't do a lot of sightseeing while I was there. Italy was… Lonely, I guess. I never really noticed when I was there. I mean, I had a boyfriend then, but now that I look back on it, I realize that it was more out of convenience than anything." The pair moved down the rack. "I'd always dreamt of opening my own restaurant. Ever since I was little I dreamt that. Coming to LA, opening _Il Castello_ , it was my literal dream come true. It couldn't get any better than it had." Sarah stopped and looked at Ellie straight in the eyes, her blue eyes unwavering. "And then I met Chuck," she said, a soft smile on her face. "And he showed me that there was so much more to life than work. He completely changed my whole outlook on life and on people in general. Ellie, your brother… you raised an amazing man." Ellie smiled at the blonde.

Ellie had always told Chuck that he was a catch, that any woman would be lucky to have him. He never believed her, of course, what with her being his older sister and therefore "obligated" to tell him things like that. It didn't help that Chuck's love life was essentially nonexistent, especially after the whole Jill situation back at Stanford. Chuck had lost so much self-confidence after that and it hurt Ellie so much to think that someone could do something so heartless to someone as sweet and kind and loving as Chuck. Knowing that another woman shared the same sentiment as her, made Ellie happy. It made sense, too; when Sarah came into his life, his confidence seemed to return. Chuck stood up straighter, held his head higher, spoke with more conviction. He'd slowly become the man Ellie knew he could be.

The older Bartowski knew in that moment that Chuck and Sarah were just what the other needed. There wasn't any other couple that was more perfect for each other than those two were. "An amazing man for an amazing woman," Ellie said. At Sarah's blush, Ellie continued. "I mean that, Sarah. You are a beautiful woman, inside and out. Chuck is as lucky to find you as you are to find him."

"Thank you, Ellie. That means a lot coming from you," Sarah blushed lightly.

"It's true." Ellie shook her head. "Wow, that got really deep. How about we talk about something lighter?" Sarah laughed.

"Agreed."

"Ooh! Let me tell you about this one time when Chuck was six…"

As Ellie dove into her story about a six-year-old Chuck, Sarah found that she couldn't stop smiling. It wasn't just because she could clearly picture a little boy with curly hair and innocent brown eyes running in fear from a duck at the park, a bag of breadcrumbs clutched tightly in his hand. Her smile was also due to the woman standing beside her. She wanted Ellie to accept her and Chuck's relationship not only because she was Chuck's sister and therefore important to Chuck, but also because if Sarah ever needed advice or anything like that, she knew she could go to Ellie for it and not worry about being judged or sabotaged or anything like that.

And, sure, Chuck had shown her what it was like to have family and friends, but Ellie was the one who showed her what it was like to have a _home_. Right off the bat, the older Bartowski sibling had accepted her and invited her into her home, making her feel comfortable enough to consider Casa Bartowski her own home as well.

Sarah could cook, yeah. Clean, sure. She could keep her apartment in livable conditions. But, it never really felt like _home_. Ellie was a homemaker. There was something about the woman that made the space _comfortable,_ lived-in. The air was warmer and smelled like baked goods, or cooked food, or even just a scented candle. It was just another thing that Sarah admired about Ellie.

As they exited the store they were in, Sarah ran over her mental Christmas list and found that she only had Chuck and Ellie left. Wanting their gifts to be a surprise, Sarah decided that she wanted to split up for a bit to search for the siblings' gifts. "Hey, Ellie?"

"Yeah, Sarah?"

"Do you think we could split up?" she asked hesitantly. The whole point of them going shopping together was so that they could spend time with one another. Splitting up would be counterintuitive but it had to be done. Ellie, thankfully, seemed to have understood why and wasn't offended in the slightest.

"You want my gift to be a surprise, huh?"

Sarah blushed slightly. "Yeah."

Ellie nodded. "That's fine. I still have to get your gift and a couple others for my co-workers so it works out. Meet in an hour at the front entrance?"

"Sounds like a plan."

The brunette and blonde went their separate ways to search for their remaining gifts. Sarah found the perfect gift for Ellie in a home goods store. She'd overheard her boyfriend's sister say she'd been wanting to get a one but never got around to it. And, being the kitchen connoisseur that she was, Sarah went all out and bought the best one.

That left her gift for Chuck. Sarah walked around the mall eyeing the store windows. She had no idea what to get Chuck. She wanted something that was meaningful and something that he'd like.

Then, she walked into a store with a _Star Wars_ cut out in the window and she saw it. Well. Them. There were multiple gifts that Sarah bought for her boyfriend.

After she made her purchases, Sarah thanked the clerk and headed back toward the mall entrance. By the time she got there, Ellie was already waiting for her, bags hanging from her forearms, evidence of their day of shopping.

"Hey," Sarah greeted as she walked up to the brunette.

"Hey! You ready?"

Sarah raised the bags she held in her hand and smiled. "Yup!"

"Great. Let's get out of here. Chuck just called. He cooked dinner." Sarah raised a brow.

"He did, did he?" Sarah asked as they made their way toward the car.

"Yeah. You know, he's been getting more adventurous in the kitchen since you guys started having those cooking lessons."

"Is that so? He hasn't told me anything about that." Sarah frowned slightly. Why wouldn't Chuck tell her that he was cooking outside of their cooking lessons? He'd gotten so much better since their very first lesson together. Sometimes, Sarah would just tell him what to make and if he didn't know how, she would give him the recipe. She no longer had to watch over his shoulder when he chopped and prepped his _mise_ to make sure that he didn't chop his fingers off.

"Really?" Ellie's brow furrowed.

"Well, he did cook breakfast for me and Zondra last week but other than that, he hasn't mentioned it." And Chuck mentioned pretty much almost _everything_ , especially when it came to his cooking. _I guess not,_ she thought as they approached her car. They loaded the trunk of Sarah's Porsche with the things that they bought and climbed into the car.

The pair got to the Echo Park apartment complex in no time, especially with Sarah driving. The two women gathered Ellie's purchases and carried them into the apartment. Sure enough, when they walked in, Chuck was in the kitchen and the whole apartment smelled delicious. Ellie excused herself to put the bags in her room and Sarah stepped into the kitchen. "Hey there, Mr. Chef," she smirked.

Chuck spun around, surprised. He'd been so engrossed in his work that he hadn't noticed the girls walk in. Sarah took in his appearance. He was wearing his trademark outfit of a T-shirt, jeans, and his high-top converse sneakers. The only difference was the apron that said "Kiss the Cook."

"Hey there, beautiful," he smiled. Sarah walked up close to him and fingered the apron. Their faces were inches apart when she bit her lower lip.

"'Kiss the Cook,' huh? Who am I to disobey kitchen rules?" She closed the distance and kissed her boyfriend. They stood in each other's embrace, connected, until Sarah smelled a slight change in the fragrance in the air and pulled away. "You should probably focus on your food or it'll burn." Chuck blinked.

"How did you…?" Sarah tapped her nose with a smirk. "You can do that? By smell? Really?"

"Yes. Now focus. Your food."

"Right!" Chuck turned and saved the pasta sauce in the pot from having a burnt cheese undertone while Sarah found the wine and poured herself a glass. "So, how was shopping? You get everything?" Chuck asked as he started to clean up the dirty pots and pans around the kitchen. Sarah had found a clean spot on the counter and hopped up.

"I did. It took all day, but I got everything."

"That's good!" Having finished mixing the pasta and the sauce, Chuck came over and stood between Sarah's legs, his arms circling her waist. "I can't wait for your first Bartowski Christmas. It's gonna be great."

"I can't wait either," Sarah replied. She leaned in and kissed him chastely. "But first. I'm starving. So let's set the table so we can eat."

"Right!"

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Ellie excused herself after dinner because she had an early shift the next day and needed the sleep. That left Chuck and Sarah alone in the living room nursing a bottle of beer and a glass of wine, respectively. The television played in the background. "That was a really good meal, Chuck," Sarah said as she settled into Chuck's side.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." There was a slight pause before Sarah continued. "How come you never told me you cook outside of our lessons?" She looked up at him to see his face turn several shades redder.

"Ellie told you?"

"Among other things." At that, Chuck's face went pale.

"What else did she tell you?" Chuck asked.

"Stop trying to divert. Answer the question."

"I wanted to surprise you," he mumbled just enough for Sarah to hear him.

"Surprise me?"

"Yeah. A home cooked meal, courtesy of your loving boyfriend. I wanted to try cooking something that you haven't taught me so that you would be surprised with what I prepared."

Sarah felt her heart melt at Chuck's confession. It was so sweet and such a _Chuck_ thing to do. She couldn't help herself as she leaned in to kiss him. They only pulled away when the need for air became apparent. But, even then, they didn't pull away very far. Sarah rested her forehead against Chuck's and marveled at the tingly feeling she got in her stomach when his breath tickled her cheeks. "I love you," she said breathily, not thinking about the words until they came out. When she realized the significance of her statement, her eyes flew open and she leaned back so that she could take in Chuck's reaction. Because surely it was too soon for her to be saying anything like that. They'd only been dating for a little over a week so, yeah. _Definitely too soon._

She almost took it back until she saw the pure and unadulterated _adoration_ in Chuck's eyes. Her retraction died on her lips at that moment and she simply waited for Chuck to say something. When he did, it wasn't the response she was expecting. "I know," he said. Sarah blinked. _He knew? What did he mean, 'he knew'?_

"What?" she asked in confusion. Then, Chuck burst into laughter and Sarah frowned. Saying 'I love you' was a definite mistake, she decided. Thoroughly miffed, Sarah pulled away so that she was no longer in Chuck's arms and crossed her own over her chest, her frown deepening as Chuck continued to laugh. He seemed to realize that she wasn't as amused at the situation as he was and sobered up quickly.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I really am, Sarah. It's just… I've always wanted to do that." At Sarah's deadpanned expression, Chuck cleared his throat. "You know, _Star Wars_? Han Solo and Princess Leia? She said, 'I love you;' He said, 'I know?'" Sarah had no clue about the reference he was making, but not wanting to admit that outright, she kept her features solid, choosing to not say anything. Chuck finally relented and softened. "I'm sorry." He pulled her back into his arms and kissed her temple. "I'm sorry for ruining the moment." He turned her to look her in the eyes. "I love you, too," he said with so much conviction and truth. "And, I know it's way too soon in our relationship, but I'm pretty sure I fell in love with you when I first met you so it's been a long time coming." Sarah sat up to look Chuck in the face once more.

Sarah kept the stern look on her face by pure force of will; Chuck's apologetic puppy dog eyes were enough to soften even the hardest of criminals. Sarah wondered briefly how she would ever win an argument with him. "This was not how I pictured this moment," she grumbled, which only seemed to make Chuck smile wider.

"Really? Cause this is exactly how I pictured it going down." Sarah shot him a flat look and moved to stand. He immediately reached out and pulled her back down.

"Okay, okay… Humor isn't the right way to approach this. Hint taken." He pulled her toward him so that they were in an embrace. When he kissed the top of her head and tightened his arms around her, Sarah melted, her resolve cracking. "I'm sorry."

Sarah buried her face into the crook of Chuck's neck, her forgiveness unspoken. Luckily, Chuck was able to read between the lines and kissed the top of her head again to let her know that her message had been received.

"You know," she said after a while. "I think I know what I'll have you cook next week." She could sense Chuck's frown even though she couldn't see it.

"What?"

"Duck." There was a sudden shift and Sarah was looking into Chuck's pale face.

"Ellie told you…" Chuck narrowed his eyes.

"Yup." Sarah cracked and smiled widely, nodding.

"Traitor," he muttered. Sarah laughed then, the look on Chuck's face proving to be too much for her to handle. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

* * *

And there you have it! It's a shorter one, I know, and there's not a lot of Charah but I've always wanted to explore Sarah and Ellie's relationship, too. So... yeah.

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Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	15. Chuck Versus Christmas

I'M SO SORRY! I totally missed the last update... I was super busy with stuff but I'm not gonna bore you with the details. BUT I'm back! And here's the next chapter!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Chuck. Wish I did, but I don't.

* * *

 **Chuck Versus Christmas**

Sarah decided to close the restaurant for Christmas. That included Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. She was well aware that some people enjoyed a dinner at a fancy restaurant over the holiday, but she also knew that her employees all had families that they'd rather spend time with so she figured that those people who wanted to have a fancy dinner could eat at any of the other big named restaurants in Los Angeles. It wasn't a big deal – at least, not in Sarah's mind.

"They're totally blowing this out of proportion," Zondra said as she spun the laptop around to show Sarah the article written about Sarah's restaurant closing for the holiday.

"They wrote an article?" Sarah frowned as she leant forward to read it closer. "'Esteemed chef, Sarah Walker, closes restaurant for Christmas holidays, denying hundreds of a nice Christmas dinner'? Are you serious? This is stupid. The media has completely lost its mind."

"As if they had a mind to lose," Zondra grumbled. "What do they expect from you? I mean. You've got a life, too. Remember the field day they had when you announced that I was going to be a head chef?" Sarah rolled her eyes. She'd learned by that point to always take the things that the media posted about her with a grain of salt. They always twisted the story to fit their agenda, taking pretty much everything out of context. They'd stated that Sarah no longer wanted to put out good food, that she didn't care about the restaurant as much as she did in the beginning because of how great the service was.

Fun part about the whole ordeal was that no one knew when Zondra was head chef or Sarah and they couldn't tell the difference either way. At one point, they'd had a food critic come in while Zondra was on duty and he completely believed that Sarah was behind the dishes on his table the whole night. It wasn't until both Zondra and herself walked out to greet him that he realized it didn't matter who the head chef was, because the food was phenomenal regardless.

"Let it go, Zondra," Sarah said, walking back to her closet to continue packing her overnight bag. She'd decided that she was just going to stay the night at Chuck's on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to be… time efficient. That's what it was. "The media is just looking for some gossip. It'll blow over by the time we open again on the twenty-seventh. I'm sure some people even think that it's nice that I take off to spend time with loved ones."

"You're right," Zondra said. "I still think it's stupid, though."

"And I agree," Sarah confirmed. "Now are you gonna pack a bag or not? Ellie said it was fine if you wanted to crash on the couch." Her best friend rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I'll pack a bag."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The two best friends showed up the Echo Park apartment complex just after noon, dressed in casual clothing – jeans, a simple blouse, and ankle boots. When Chuck opened the door, they felt _extremely_ overdressed.

Sarah's boyfriend was decked out in pajamas. And not nice, matching Christmas pajamas, but a _Star Wars_ -Christmas-themed T-shirt and sweatpants, with white crew socks to complete the ensemble. "Hey!" he greeted. "You're here! And… way overdressed. I told you it was Christmas casual."

Sarah smirked. "You didn't say it was _that_ casual," she retorted, gesturing to his outfit.

"Oops. My bad." He leaned in and pecked Sarah's lips before moving aside to let the two women in. He greeted Zondra with a friendly hug and took their overnight bags from them. He placed Zondra's in the corner since she would be staying in the living room while he took Sarah's to his bedroom. While Chuck disappeared briefly, Sarah and Zondra took seats on the couch and made themselves comfortable. "If you want, you could totally change into your PJ's now," Chuck said, his voice getting louder as he walked back into the living room. "Christmas isn't very formal here at the Bartowskis."

It really wasn't. Chuck and Ellie tried to do the formal thing the Christmas after Chuck graduated Stanford since 'they were both adults now' but it didn't really work out since they changed into their pajamas right after dinner for their movie night. They'd decided to just keep the pajamas for the whole thing. They stayed home all day anyway.

"Maybe we'll change in a bit," Sarah appeased. "Where is everyone, anyway?"

"Ellie and Devon went on a last minute grocery store run since everything will be closed tomorrow and Morgan will be here after his shift at the Buy More. Casey, Kathleen, and Alex will be here tonight for dinner and then tomorrow for breakfast, gift opening, and our _Twilight Zone_ marathon."

"Is Morgan staying the night, too?" Sarah asked. Casey and his family were probably not since they lived right across the courtyard, but Morgan lived a good bike ride's distance away.

"Yeah. The seat over there reclines so he's bringing his sleeping bag," Chuck said. "I hope you don't mind, Zondra."

"Nah, that's fine. At least this way, I won't be all by myself out here in the living room," the brunette waved off Chuck's concern.

"Great!"

"Oh! By the way," Sarah said, "our gifts are in the trunk of my car."

"No problem. I can get them."

"You sure?"

"Yeah! How about this? I'll get the gifts while you guys change," Chuck suggested.

"That sounds great!" Zondra said. She stood up to get her clothes out of her duffle and headed into the bathroom. Sarah handed Chuck her car keys and disappeared down the hall into his bedroom to change.

Five minutes later, Zondra and Sarah's gifts for everyone surrounded the tree along with the others and the three were seated on the couch once more, the television played _Elf_. Chuck had put in the DVD, stating that it was a definite Christmas classic. "This movie is probably one of my favorite Christmas movies," Chuck said. His arm was wrapped around Sarah's shoulders as they watched Will Ferrell complete his elf-ly duties. Both Zondra and Sarah raised tentative eyebrows at the nerd but took his word for his praise of the movie. The man had a good sense of humor and if he found the movie funny, then they believed him.

Sarah and Zondra cringed at the scene where Buddy was eating chewed gum off of the subway entrance railing. Chuck laughed both at the scene and the girls' reaction. It wasn't long after that when Ellie and Devon walked through the door juggling grocery bags. Chuck hopped up from his seat to relieve some of the bags and carried them to the kitchen.

Once the bags were placed, Devon looked up toward the screen. " _Elf._ Awesome."

"I'm introducing it to them," Chuck explained. Ellie shook her head and started to empty the bags of their contents.

"Well, I'm gonna get started on dinner," Ellie said. At that, both Sarah and Zondra hopped up from the couch.

"Did you need help?" they asked, a little to desperately. Ellie smiled.

"I wouldn't be opposed to it," Ellie said.

"Whatever," Chuck scoffed. "More leg room on the couch for us, right, Awesome?"

"Awesome!" The two men grabbed a bottle of beer and headed back into the living room, situating themselves on the couch, leaving the three women in the kitchen.

"They're crazy," Sarah said as she washed her hands.

" _Elf_ has been on the Christmas movies watch list since it came out. It's really good and really funny but watching it over and over gets to be a little much sometimes," Ellie told them with a fond smile.

"Alright, Chef Ellie, what do you need us to do?" Zondra asked as she wiped her hands dry. "Your kitchen, your rules." Sarah stifled a laugh at Ellie's wide-eyed face. Two world-class chefs were asking _her_ what she wanted them to do.

"Uh… You could chop up these vegetables while I prepare the meat," she said.

"Yes, Chef," Sarah said, reaching into one of the cupboards for chopping boards and wielding the proper knives from the knife block. Her and Zondra got started on their work, chopping and dicing while Ellie worked on the roast beef.

Sarah and Zondra were used to running kitchens, being the one in charge. But, this was Ellie's kitchen, her recipes, her dinner. As dominant as the two chefs were, they knew how to step back and let someone else take control.

"Dude," Devon leaned over toward Chuck and whispered so that the women wouldn't hear them. "It's so awesome that Ellie has help this year with dinner." The two men snuck a glance at their respective significant others (and Zondra) and smiled at how in sync the three of them were. It was quite the sight.

"I know. I bet Ellie's mind is blown with having two professional chefs under her command," Chuck joked.

"And you know, Bro, I'm so happy for you and Sarah, you know?" Devon said. "It's so awesome that you two found each other."

"Yeah… I'm a pretty lucky guy."

"Nah, Bro, I'd say you're both pretty lucky." Chuck smiled at Devon.

"Merry Christmas," he said raising his beer.

"Merry Christmas." They tapped the lip of their bottles and took a swig before turning back to the movie.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Sarah asked Ellie, her eyes not leaving the sight of Chuck and Devon hunched over, speaking softly. Ellie, having just put the pot roast into the oven, walked over to the blonde.

"I have no idea," Ellie said. "You should go find out." Ellie shot Sarah a wink before turning to Zondra to help with the potatoes.

Sarah washed her hands quickly before making her way into the living room. She sat beside Chuck and immediately his arm found its way around her shoulders and he kissed her cheek. "Hey, there gorgeous," he said.

"What are you guys talking about over here?" she asked as she settled into Chuck's side.

"Nothing much. Guy stuff. You know, the yoozh," Chuck said.

"Chuck was actually telling me how lucky he is to have you," Devon spilled.

"Devon!" Chuck exclaimed, smacking the older man lightly. _Did the bro code not mean anything anymore?_ "Not awesome."

"What, dude? You'll thank me for it later." Devon winked and stood from the couch, leaving Chuck and Sarah alone.

Chuck turned to his girlfriend with a sheepish smile on his face. "Where you really talking about that?" Sarah asked, an innocent smile on her face. His face turned slightly pink.

"Ahhh… Yeah. We were, actually," he admitted. "And it's true. I _am_ really lucky to have you."

"No… I think I'm the lucky one," Sarah smirked before kissing him seductively. Chuck stopped breathing. As many times as he's kissed Sarah, she always managed to take his breath away.

"I think we can agree that we're both lucky?" he managed.

"Hmmm… I'll accept that." Sarah leaned in to kiss him once more when the door opened with a flourish, revealing Morgan, standing at the doorway in his Buy More uniform.

"Behold! Greatness… has arrived," the bearded man said as he walked in. Chuck rolled his eyes.

"Could you move out of the way? I can't see it," he quipped.

Morgan held a hand over his heart in a wounded manner. "Ouch! Charles Irving Bartowski, you wound me. And on _Christmas_."

Chuck chuckled and stood to greet his best friend with a brotherly hug. "How you doin', Buddy?" he asked once they separated.

"Doin' good. Better than Jeff and Lester, that's for sure."

"Oh, no. What did they do this time?"

"You totally missed it. Lester and Jeff bet some of the Nerd Herders that Jeff could fit a whole apple in his mouth."

"Could he?" Chuck wondered, not really sure he wanted the answer.

"He totally did!" Morgan exclaimed. "Best part… It was stuck. He couldn't get it out."

"No way."

"Way. So him and Lester had to go to the ER to get it removed."

"Damn. I wish I could've seen it." The two men looked off wistfully, Chuck remembering some of the fond moments he'd had while working at the Buy More. "Welp," Chuck declared, clapping Morgan on the shoulder. "Dinner's almost ready so why don't you go and change in the bathroom."

"Sound's good, Brother." Morgan disappeared with his duffle bag down the hallway. Chuck looked back toward the kitchen to see Devon sitting by the bar, holding an apple from the fruit basket up to his mouth, wondering how Jeff managed to fit it in his mouth. Chuck, personally, didn't want to know.

With wide eyes and a smile that said, _did that just happen,_ made his way back over to Sarah. "A _whole_ apple?" she asked, an interesting mix of curious and amused playing in her eyes and on her features.

"I don't know. It's Jeff. That man… is… scary."

"I believe you."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Dinner, as always, was delicious. Their featured film, _Just Friends_ , was hilarious. By the end of it, the group of friends, minus Casey and Kathleen, who looked on in amusement (Casey in slight disgust), were singing, – horribly and drunkenly – "Forgiveness… Is more than saying sorry!" in between fits of giggles and laughter.

It wasn't long after their impromptu concert that they decided to call it a night. Ellie and Devon retreated to their room, followed by Chuck and Sarah's to Chuck's room; Casey, Kathleen, and Alex left the apartment for their own across the courtyard, which left Morgan and Zondra to settle into the living room, Zondra taking the couch, Morgan on the "hidden recliner."

As Chuck and Sarah settled into bed, they somehow found their way to the center where they immediately cuddled up together. "Mmmmm…" Chuck hummed, wrapping his arms tightly around Sarah's torso. Sarah wrapped her own arms around him and their legs became a tangled mess, Chuck's feet covering Sarah's. He placed a kiss onto Sarah's forehead mumbling, "Merry Christmas, Sarah. I love you."

The blonde responded in kind, "I love you, too," before drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, they woke up in the same position they slept in, tangled in a mess of limbs. Chuck's hand, however, found its way to a soft mound of flesh at the bottom of Sarah's back. As he slowly came to consciousness, he reflexively squeezed his hand, which elicited a pleasurable moan from the blonde woman wrapped around him. "Mmmm..." Sarah's voice was muffled as her face was buried in his shirt. It became clearer as she shifted slightly. "Do that again and you might regret it."

"Somehow, I don't think I will," Chuck quipped, before rolling over so that Sarah laid under him. "Good morning, beautiful," he smiled briefly before diving in for a morning kiss.

"Chuck, your whole family is right outside that door," Sarah reasoned when they broke apart. "Should we really be doing this?"

"I want to say yes. I really do." To prove his point, Chuck buried his head into the crook of Sarah's neck, dropping sloppy kisses right where her neck met her shoulder. Then, before Sarah could change her mind, he pulled back. "But, you're right." He dropped one last kiss on her lips, this one much shorter than their earlier one. "Come on," he said, standing up, and making his way to the door of his room quickly. "There are six people, and only one bathroom in this apartment. There's gonna be a war on Christmas morning." With that, Chuck opened the door and disappeared from sight, leaving Sarah giggling at her boyfriend's antics. She got up shortly after Chuck's dramatic exit and followed him into the bathroom to find him already brushing his teeth.

She grabbed her toothbrush and he handed her a tube of toothpaste. "Ish Shpearmint okay?" he mumbled around the bubbles in his mouth. He spit quickly before continuing. "Traditionally I'm more of a peppermint man but I'm living on the edge." Sarah giggled through her nose as she brushed her teeth.

"Ish fine." They brushed their teeth in silence before heading out into the kitchen where Ellie was already making breakfast. Devon sat at the table, drinking a mug of coffee.

"Merry Christmas, you two!" The brunette greeted with a tight hug for the both of them.

"Merry Christmas, El," Chuck said with a chuckle.

"Ooh, Chuck. All the ingredients for your eggnog are in the refrigerator," Ellie told him.

"Perfect. I'll get started on that right away." He pecked Sarah's lips and joined his sister in the kitchen to start making his eggnog. Sarah rolled her eyes and wandered into the living room where Zondra was still asleep on the couch.

With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Sarah sat on top of her best friend. "Staaahhp," the brunette murmured into her pillow before burrowing further into the plush cushion. That only made Sarah want to bounce like a child.

"Wake up!" she sing-songed. "It's Christmas!"

"Walker, I swear to God. Get. Off." Zondra growled menacingly and Sarah obliged, hopping off her best friend, choosing to settle on the floor by her head.

"Don't be such a Grinch! Ellie's making breakfast and Chuck's making eggnog."

"I swear. Love has changed you."

"Thanks."

"It's annoying." Sarah laughed before turning around to reach for the remote and turn on the television. She scrolled through the TV guide menu and as she skimmed over SyFy where it looked like a _Twilight Zone_ marathon was playing.

"That one! Play that!" Chuck yelled from across the room. " _Twilight Zone_ marathon!" With a chuckle and a shake of her head, she clicked on the program and the 60s show started playing. Setting the remote back down onto the coffee table, there was a knock on the door so she stood and headed over to answer it.

"Hey, Casey! Kathleen! Alex, come on in." Sarah opened the door wider for the family to step in. Greetings ensued, Zondra having finally woken up fully and Morgan stirring on his recliner. It wasn't long for breakfast to be ready and soon, everyone was seated around the table enjoying the spread that Ellie had put out for them.

Soon, they were seated around the living room, the gifts all being passed out to their respective recipients. As they opened their gifts, Sarah turned to Chuck, who was seated beside her. She pulled a box from behind her and handed it to him. "Here," she said. "I wanted to give this to you personally." He shot her a confused look and ripped open the wrapping.

When he finally got the box open and saw the contents inside, he gasped. "No way," he breathed, his voice filled with complete awe, as he lifted the gift from the box. "It's a life sized replica of Han Solo's blaster." There was a thud across the room as Morgan saw the gift.

"Dude," the bearded man said, mystified.

"Dude," Chuck replied. He turned to Sarah and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "Oh, my God. I love you so much. This is the absolute best."

"There's more," was all Sarah said.

"More?" Chuck placed the blaster onto the couch beside him and reached into the box once more, pulling out a leather holster. "No way."

"I figured. If you have the blaster, you have to have the holster, too, right?" Sarah shrugged.

Chuck hugged her once more. "You are the _best_ girlfriend ever. God, I love you." Sarah laughed as Chuck peppered her face with kisses.

"I love you, too." Sarah's heart melted at the look on Chuck's face when he saw her present. She knew that he absolutely loved _Star Wars_ and that Han Solo was his favorite character.

"God, now it makes my gift for you seem underachieving," he joked, reaching into his pocket to pull out a tiny black velvet drawstring bag.

"Chuck, I'm sure whatever it is, it'll be great…" Sarah trailed off as the brunette man in front of her pulled out a silver charm bracelet. "Wow… That's beautiful."

"It's good luck," Chuck said. "It was my mom's charm bracelet. My dad gave it to her when Ellie was born." He hooked it around her wrist, taking her hand in his when he was done. "It's not much, nothing fancy or expensive, I know, but –"

"It's perfect," Sarah interrupted. And it was. Chuck had given her more than just a bracelet. This wasn't the kind of gift that you gave a girl you didn't think was going to stick around. This was the kind of gift you gave a girl when you knew she was the one. A gift like that isn't tossed around. She knew that even though his parents hadn't stuck around for his and Ellie's childhood, they still held a fond place in Chuck's heart. His relationship with his parents was strained beyond belief but he still had good memories with them. He still loved them, and respected their memory. That he gave her something that was so important to his family sat really heavy with Sarah. They'd known each other for less than a year and have been dating for a little over three weeks and yet he gave this gift to her. It really said a lot about Chuck's feelings for her and where he stood in their relationship. "I love it. Thank you." Sarah leaned in and kissed Chuck, allowing all her emotions to bubble up to the surface and manifest in their kiss.

"Aww…" Chuck and Sarah broke apart at the sound of Ellie's cooing and looked over to see the elder Bartowski sibling holding her hands over her heart. She looked near about to burst into tears. "I'm sorry, you two are just… too cute!" The couple laughed as Devon reined in his wife to keep her from pouncing.

Ellie loved her new electric mixer – "Oh, my gosh this is what I've been looking for, for like, forever!" – and Devon loved his new rock climbing gear – "Awesome! Now I don't have to rent whenever I go to the wall" – so Sarah was pleased with her gift choices for the Awesomes. Morgan pulled out his Chewbacca themed hoodie and very nearly wept at how now he and Chuck "matched like brothers should."

Casey appreciated his new mug with a gun handle and bullet themed coasters. It was a simple gift but the man's eyes shined and Sarah knew she'd hit the jackpot with her gift. Kathleen received new baking tools. Sarah knew about the woman's love for baking cakes she she'd bought her a cake stand and icing tools. Alex loved her new tumbler. Being a criminal justice major going into working as a criminal psychological evaluator, she was going to need a lot of coffee so Sarah had bought her a customized coffee tumbler with a Starbucks gift card inside.

Zondra flipped out at her gift. Sarah had gotten her best friend her own monogrammed Chef's jacket for the restaurant. It was similar to Sarah's: black, fitted, with her name stitched under the restaurant logo with the title "Head Chef" below it. The only difference was that Sarah's said, "Head Chef, Owner" under her name. "Sarah, this is amazing!"

"You deserve it," Sarah said. "I would have given it to you before but I figured it'd be a cool gift to give."

"I love it! Now I don't have to wear the generic jacket!"

"What's wrong with our normal chef jackets?" Sarah frowned. The regular chef jackets were the usual white jackets with just the logo in the upper left corner.

"Nothing! It's great and all, I just… prefer to stand out a bit," Zondra admitted with a slight blush to her cheeks. Sarah laughed and accepted her best friend's hug of gratitude.

They all enjoyed the _Twilight Zone_ marathon and Chuck's eggnog, with snacks coming in a steady flow, courtesy of Ellie. Sarah was cuddled into Chuck's side, her arm with the charm bracelet held in front of her. Chuck's hand was running up and down her arm, his other, holding her free hand, which sat in his lap. As she studied the delicate silver chain on her wrist, she felt Chuck kiss the top of her head. She turned to look up at him with a smile. Chuck returned it before nudging his chin in the direction of Morgan and Alex, who were sitting beside each other talking and laughing. "Looks like they're becoming friendly," Chuck muttered only loud enough for Sarah to hear. Sarah barely stifled a laugh at the look on Casey's face when he noticed that fact, too.

"Casey looks like he's about to blow a gasket," Sarah replied in a voice just as low. Chuck barely held back a smile.

"Good luck to the both of them," Chuck quipped. They shared another smile before Sarah leant up to kiss him. When they separated, they shared another smile and blinked when a flash brought them back to reality. "El!" Chuck whined. "Why must you do the paparazzi photos?"

"I'm _sorry!_ But you two are just too cute I can't pass it up!"

"Uh-huh. Okay. Sure."

"Chuck, let her be," she said as she cuddled deeper into Chuck's side. "Your sister is happy for you, for us."

"Oh hey!" Morgan exclaimed, pulling all the attention to himself. "It's time for our final Christmas movie!"

"Oh yeah! Put it in, Buddy!" Morgan stood from his seat and put in the movie. Soon, _It's A Wonderful Life_ started playing.

"Oh! I love this movie!" Sarah smiled. She remembered when she was younger, her parents watched this movie over Christmas and Sarah had loved the whole idea that every person experiences what they experience for a reason. It may not seem like a big impact in the moment, but it could lead to bigger things down the road.

That really got Sarah thinking. Had she not met Chuck, she would still have her restaurant and still love what she did, but she wouldn't have rekindled her friendship with Zondra; she would have worked her self into the ground eventually with working six out of seven days of the week. Without Chuck, her life wouldn't be as happy as it was right then in that moment. She probably would have spent Christmas alone, or possibly even working, for that matter.

Hell, just last year, she'd spent Christmas alone in her apartment. She was new to Los Angeles and her restaurant was still being renovated. The only people she really knew were the contractors, the architect, the lawyers, the interior designer, and a couple of famous chefs that live in Los Angeles. And, all of them had family that they spent the holidays with so it wasn't like she was getting an invitation any time soon. She would have gone to visit her parents but they'd decided to skip Christmas and go on a cruise. So Sarah had spent it alone. And, just a year later, she had so many people to celebrate the holiday with.

Chuck walking in that one random Sunday because he forgot his phone charger had changed Sarah's life in a massive way and she regretted nothing. Well, she regretted not getting together with him sooner, but that was beside the point – they were together and that was all that mattered.

Later that night, when they settled in for bed, both Sarah and Chuck were exhausted from the excitement of the day's events. They cuddled up together in the middle of the bed like they did the night before and Sarah found herself humming in contentment. "Thank you, Chuck."

"For what?" he questioned.

"This," she answered vaguely. "For everything you've given me. Without you, my job would have been my entire life, the way it was back in Italy. You showed me that there was more to my dream than just owning a restaurant. I have someone to share it with. I have you, and Ellie, and Devon, and even Morgan. I've got friends and a family and it's all because of you."

"Well, then. If that's the case. You're welcome." Sarah chuckled sleepily at how Chuck could be half asleep and still so humorous.

"I'm serious," she said. "And I know that working as a server at the restaurant isn't your dream job. Don't even deny it." She paused to gather her thoughts and courage to say what she wanted to say. "Chuck, I don't want to be the only one of us living out our dreams. You want to build your own company. I know you do. And I want you to. Which is why I want you to start working at the restaurant part-time."

"Sarah–"

"No, Chuck. I've already made up my mind. I know you were saving up for capital and what not, I'm willing to help you out with that. I _want_ to help you out with that."

"Sarah, I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking, and I'm not offering. It's happening," Sarah insisted. "I'm your girlfriend, Chuck. That means that I think we have a chance of making this work out for the long term. I'm ready to support and back you the way you've been supporting and backing me. Work part-time at the restaurant so that you're still making some money but spend your time working on building your company. Ground out the finer details and get the ball rolling. You've got what it takes, Chuck. I've got no doubt about it. And, if you're still hesitant, think about it this way: I'm investing in your company. If, and when, you take off, I'll get some profit because you'll be happy. And… you know, the money you make will probably be spent on me, so…" Chuck chuckled at Sarah's proposition.

"You really want me to do this?" he asked.

"I absolutely do." Chuck was silent for a moment and Sarah could tell he was truly thinking about it. Then, she felt him shift his head. Not seeing his face, she couldn't tell if he was nodding or shaking his head.

"Alright," he eventually said, alerting Sarah of his decision. "I'll do it. _We'll_ do it. Starting this new year, I'll work part-time at _Il Castello_ and work on starting up my own company."

"Good." Chuck tightened his hold around his beautiful, supportive girlfriend and gave her a loving kiss on the top of her head.

"Merry Christmas, Sarah."

"Merry Christmas, Chuck."

* * *

And there you have it! It was Christmas when I wrote this... Oh well.

Again, I'm so sorry for missing the last update Friday! Thank you for sticking with me! I promise I'm sticking this out to the end.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	16. Chuck Versus the Proposal

Hey! Man... That was a close one... My laptop broke down on me on Wednesday and I didn't think I'd get it back in time to update or even that all my files would be saved... O.o" But, all is good and I'm HERE!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Chuck. Not even a little bit.

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the Proposal**

"Thank you so much," Chuck said, holding his hand out as he stood from his seat. The realtor seated across from stood as well and took Chuck's outstretched hand.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you," Hunter Perry, the realtor said. "Good luck on your future endeavors." Chuck nodded and watched as the other man walked out of the office space.

The office space once belonged to Ronald Reagan and Chuck thought that it was perfect. There was a small main lobby area with a receptionist desk. Behind that, there was empty space followed by three closed offices along the back wall. In the open space, Chuck was planning on putting workbenches for programmers and designers. But that was for later when the company started growing.

It has been a little over a month since Christmas and Chuck had made a lot of progress on the startup for his company. He already had a couple of programs written from his college days and throughout his time at Roark Industries.

But, the project he'd been working on the most from the beginning was his video game. The story followed a CIA agent that had acquired a government database and had it downloaded into his brain. He'd based it off of a class he'd taken his senior year of college: Subconscious and Subliminal Imagery. The story line followed the spy as he went off to fight off a terrorist group that wanted to overrun the government. Originally, Chuck had wanted to base the character off himself – make him everything that Chuck was not – but he thought about it and thought that it would be cooler if the gamers could design their own character and have a generic male and female character for those who didn't care.

The base code for it was nearly finished, as he'd been adding to it little by little over the years so all he needed were some graphic designers and other programmers. He'd reached out to some of his old co-workers from Roark Instruments and found that they were out of a job still so he'd called them in to meet up and talk about a potential job offer. They'd be at the office later in the afternoon.

First, Chuck was meeting with the interior designer that worked with Sarah to design _Il Castello_. While he waited, Chuck took in the space around him. His dream was slowly coming together, piece by piece.

"Well, someone's happy," a familiar voice called out, pulling him out of his reverie. Chuck opened his eyes to see his beautiful blonde girlfriend walking toward him, a warm smile on her face. When she was within arms reach, Chuck picked her up in a hug and spun her around, causing her to giggle. He set her down and kissed her. "Wow, someone's _really_ happy," she amended.

"And it's all because of you," Chuck replied sincerely. "You are the reason that any of this is possible. Thank you."

"Hey, now. I just gave you a push in the right direction. This?" she gestured to the space around them. "This is all you. You picked out the office, you got in contact with your old co-workers, and you're working on your own project. All I did was smile and be your supportive girlfriend. And I love you for it."

"I love you, too." Sarah looked around at the empty office space. "So, what time did Daphne say she was coming by?"

"Ten o'clock," Chuck answered. He checked his watch. "So she should be here in a few minutes. While we wait, would you like a tour?"

"I'd love one."

Chuck walked Sarah throughout the office space, detailing the plans he had for each area. "The three offices here in the back. Those would be reserved for our executive officer positions. The CFO," he said as he pointed to the office closest to the wall, "the VP of Marketing and PR," he pointed to the middle office, "and, of course, yours truly, the CEO." Chuck walked toward the office closest to the window and stepped inside. It was obviously the biggest office of the three and had two floor to ceiling windows looking out at Los Angeles' skyline.

"Can you believe this place was open for rent?" Sarah asked.

"And within our budget," Chuck added. "You'd think that the former president's office-slash- _Die Hard_ filming location would cost a pretty penny."

Sarah smiled but remained quiet. Chuck didn't need to know that she was friends with the plaza owner and that he owed her a couple of favors… like lowering the rent price for his most lucrative office space. "We must have caught them on a lucky day," she said.

"You don't have to lie to me, Sarah." Sarah blinked at Chuck confusion on her features but fear that he'd found out coursing through her veins.

"What do you mean?"

"I met with Mr. Conway while discussing the space," Chuck explained. "He told me that _you'd_ told him that I was interested. Then, I asked him why the rent price was so low and he said that it used to be higher but no one would take it because of the price, so he lowered it. It didn't take me long to connect the dots."

"Chuck–"

"Sarah," he interrupted. "It's okay, I'm not mad."

"You're not?"

"No, of course not. You were trying to help. I do wish, however, that you'd told me instead of trying to hide it from me. This relationship will only work if we're honest with each other." He pulled her toward him in an embrace. "You don't have to hide something like that from me. We already agreed that you'd help out in whatever way you could."

"No secrets, no lies?" Sarah offered.

"Exactly." Then he thought for a second. "Well… I think we should have a special category for surprises." Sarah furrowed a brow with an amused smile on her face.

"'Surprises?'"

"Yeah, you know… If I ever want to surprise my beautiful girlfriend, I'd like to keep that surprise a secret until it's time. And technically, you'll find out eventually so it shouldn't really be an issue, and–"

"Chuck." Sarah placed a finger on his lips to stop him from spiraling further. "You can have your special category," she conceded. "So long as that category applies to me as well."

"Of course! Of course! Absolutely it applies to you, too." He leant in for a kiss and Sarah met him halfway. It was soft and sweet, one that was meant to be a promise of a bright future. When they broke apart, they heard a voice call for Chuck outside the office and the two left to see who it was.

Standing near the lobby area was a redheaded woman with glasses and a briefcase. "Daphne!" Sarah greeted with a smile. The two women hugged and Sarah introduced Chuck to the interior designer. "Chuck, this is Daphne Peralta, she was the one who helped design _Il Castello_."

"And I can't wait to help you design your new office space," the redheaded woman said in a thick Jersey accent. "So, let's get started. Tell me what you want."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

After Daphne left, Sarah soon followed as she had to head to work. That left Chuck alone in his new office. Yet, seeing as it was lunchtime, he decided to grab a quick bite before he had to meet with his RI colleagues. As he left the office building, he received a phone call from Devon.

"Hey, Captain," Chuck said by way of greeting when he answered the phone.

"Chuck, Bro, are you free to meet right now?"

"Uhhh… yeah. I'm about to get some lunch. That cool?"

"Yeah, yeah. That's awesome. Text me where to meet you." They hung up and Chuck texted Devon to meet him at an In-N-Out that was nearby.

They got there and ordered their food, grabbing a table while they waited. Eventually, their food was ready and Chuck stood up to grab their tray before sitting back down. "So, what's up? You seem a little distracted," Chuck asked about halfway through their meal.

"Yeah, I know, bro. I'm sorry… I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Well, lay it on me. What's going on?"

"I was hoping to talked to you about Ellie."

"Yeah? Yeah, of course."

"Well, you know, ever since we've been dating, I've come to think of you as that little brother I never had." Chuck frowned.

"Don't you have two younger brothers?" he asked. Devon frowned slightly before shaking his head and moving on.

"But you seem like someone who can offer sage wisdom in confusing times and… Man, this is harder than I thought."

Devon set down his burger and wiped his hands before pulling out a red velvet box. "Woah, Devon, that's…"

"It's my great-grandmother's ring," Devon explained. He paused for a second to gather his thoughts. "I've been thinking a lot about the way things are between me and your sister. And you're the man in, in Ellie's family, so I was wondering… Can I have your permission? Can I marry Ellie?" He opened the box to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring.

Chuck dropped the fry he was holding and he swore he heard angels sing. "Wow. That-That's quite a rock you got there," Chuck blinked in awe.

"Is that a yes?"

"Dude! Yes! Yes! Sorry! I just – you kind of – waah!" Chuck stumbled. "You know, you pulled out the ring and just – Yes, absolutely you have my blessing."

"Awesome!" Devon looked at the ring. "Do you think she'd like it? It's just… It's been in my family for years and–"

"Are you kidding? Like it? She'll love it. I, um, I'm just not sure she'll be able to lift her hand anymore." Chuck muttered at the end as he looked at the large rock sitting on the white gold band.

"Oh, one more thing," Devon continued. "Ellie is a bloodhound when it comes to these kind of things. If I keep this in the apartment, she will smell diamond." He closed the box and placed it in Chuck's hand. "Can you hold onto this, just for a day or so, man? I mean, just till I figure out how to pop the question."

"Oh, I don't know–"

"Awesome! I knew I could count on you. Thanks, Bro." Then, Devon chuckled to himself. "Hey, pretty soon, I'm going to mean that literally!" Chuck gave a smile and accepted the rather hard slap on the back from his soon-to-be brother in law with a slight grimace as the other man finished his burger with a smile on his face.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Chuck showed up to _Il Castello_ shortly after meeting with his former RI co-workers, his sister's future engagement ring weighing heavily in his right pocket. He's was planning on leaving it locked in his desk in his office at the restaurant until Devon said he was ready to pop the question. The dinner service was just about to start so Chuck didn't want to spend too much time there in order to avoid getting in the way or being a distraction. No such luck.

"Chuckles!" Zondra called from the doorway to the kitchen. She was wearing her black chef's jacket that Sarah had gotten her.

"Hey Zondra."

"What are you doing here? I thought you were spending all day at your new office." Chuck made a show at checking his watch.

"For people who don't work at a dinner-service-only restaurant, 'all day' means nine-to-five," he joked.

"Well, aren't you just a regular comedian."

"I'm here all week," Chuck quipped.

Zondra rolled her eyes. "Your girlfriend's in her office."

"Thanks." Zondra disappeared back into the kitchen and Chuck slipped into Sarah's office to find the blonde sitting at her desk with her account books open in front of her. "Hey there, beautiful."

Sarah turned. "Chuck!" She stood up and hugged him. "What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd drop by for a bit," he shrugged, guiding them to sit on the couch. "I also needed to drop something off."

Confusion came over Sarah's features. "What is it?" Chuck reached into his pocket and pulled out the red velvet box. He opened it to reveal Devon's great-grandmother's ring. Sarah's heart stopped as she stared at the ring her boyfriend was holding in front of her. Was he… He couldn't be… Could he? They haven't even _discussed_ the possibility of them taking the next step. Was this what he meant when he wanted a 'surprise exception'? If he was, did she want to? She definitely thought that it could be a possibility. She loved him and could see him in her life for the long haul. But they'd only been dating for a little over a month and it was _way_ too soon. But… "Chuck–"

"It's Devon's great-grandmothers," Chuck said, not really processing that Sarah had spoken. "He's planning on proposing to Ellie with it. He asked me to hold onto it so she wouldn't find it back at the apartment."

Sarah felt a weight get lifted off of her shoulder. It was a strange sensation to be so relieved at the thought that Chuck really wasn't proposing to her. But then that thought opened a whole new can of worms as thoughts flooded her mind. Did that mean she didn't want to get married to him? Or did she and she just wasn't sure because it was too early in their relationship? She knew she loved him but was she ready for a commitment like that? The thought scared her, no doubt.

Luckily, before Sarah could spiral out of control in her own head, Chuck's voice brought her back to reality. "Sarah." His voice cleared and sounded concerned. "Are you okay? You kind of spaced out there for a second." Sarah blinked and gave him a smile

"I'm fine," she assured. "But, wow, that is a big rock."

"I know," Chuck agreed, looking over the ring once more. "God, Ellie's gonna get married. It's crazy."

"Where were you planning on keeping it?" Sarah asked.

"In the lockable drawer on my desk in my office." Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Chuck, you can't keep it there," she said, standing up from her seat. "Here, give it to me. I'll keep it in the safe."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. It's more safe there than in your _desk_." Chuck snapped the box shut and handed it to Sarah, who moved to stow it away in the safe she kept inside one of the cabinets that hung above her desk.

"Thanks, Sarah."

"No problem." Chuck gave her a smile.

"I should head out. You're working."

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Sarah asked, a hopeful tone to her voice.

"Absolutely." He kissed her chastely before exiting her office. He waved a goodbye to Zondra, though he wasn't sure she saw him since dinner rush was already in full motion and the kitchen staff was concentrated on their stations.

As Chuck drove home, he couldn't help but think about Sarah. He'd seen a plethora of emotions flash through her eyes, disappearing as fast as they appeared. Most of them were not good emotions: fear, anxiety, doubt, panic. Some of them were good, 'good' being used very loosely: surprise, curiosity, incredulity. But the one that confused him the most was when he told her that it was the ring Awesome was using to propose to Ellie, was the relief that he saw in her eyes.

He knew that it was _way_ too early to be thinking about proposing to Sarah, but part of him couldn't help but wonder. If he had been asking her, what would she have said? He shook his head then. No. That wasn't fair. They've only been dating for a month. He was _crazy_. And, he wanted it to be special and between Sarah running the restaurant and him starting up his company, so it wasn't exactly _prime_ _timing_ anyway.

There was no point in trying to figure out if Sarah would have said yes. That would just bring up doubts and ill feelings and that was the last thing he wanted. So, he pushed it to the back of his mind and refused to think about it anymore.

When Chuck arrived at the apartment, he found Devon in the hallway, dangling from the ceiling by his feet. "Uhh… Captain?"

"Yo Chuckster!"

"What are you doing?" Chuck asked as he neared, moving around Devon's body so that he could see the blonde man's face. "Where's Ellie?"

"She's working the night shift," Devon said, a slight strain to his voice from all the blood rush to his head. "Check it out, I've got an idea to pop the Q."

"The Q?"

"Yeah, you know, the Big Q. You ready? Sky. Diving." Chuck's eyes went wide.

"Sky diving? Are… Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"It's not the first time we've been in the mile-high club, Buddy, if you know what I mean," Devon said with a wink. Chuck felt really uncomfortable right in that moment. He really didn't want to know about his sister's sex life.

"Yeah," he cleared his throat as it sounded a little hoarse. "Uh… Listen, don't you think skydiving is a little… it's a little risky, don't you think? I mean, you could drop the ring." Devon's eyes widened in realization.

"Woah. Hot call, dude. Hate to lose my great-granny's ring," he told her. "She gave it to me right before she passed. You know? She knew Ellie was the one before I did." Chuck smiled.

"Alright… I'm gonna take a shower. You… you keep thinking on that… Maybe when you're not hanging upside down and adrenaline is rushing through your system."

"Good call, Bro."

"Alright." Chuck lifted a hand to pat Devon but realized there was no place to pat him that wouldn't make the situation more awkward so he smoothly transitioned into a thumbs up before walking away, letting Devon return to his workout.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The next day Chuck spent the morning at various furniture stores with Daphne who had picked out certain pieces for him to look at for his new office. For his company, _Orion Tech_ , he wanted to have a galaxy sort of feel in the office what with Orion being a popular constellation. By lunch, they'd picked out the workstations and some nice office furniture for Chuck's, and basic furniture the other two executive offices. Movers would be by later that day to bring everything they'd bought and assemble it.

As Chuck and Daphne were planning where to put everything someone had entered the space. "Ay, yo Chuck!" a familiar voice called out. Chuck spun around to see his bearded best friend make an entrance. Daphne promptly excused herself to go and check on the deliveries.

"Hey, Buddy," Chuck greeted.

"Dude! This place is _so badass!"_

"Morgan, there's no furniture yet."

"I know, but Dude. This is The Gipper's Office! This is _Die Hard!_ The space in _itself_ is badass!"

The bearded man spotted the executive offices in the back. "Oh! Dude, is this my office?" Morgan moved to the corner office that was Chuck's.

"Uh, no. That one's mine," he said. Undeterred in the slightest, Morgan moved to the next one over. "Then it's this definitely this one, isn't it? Right next to my best friend."

"Morgan, that's the VP of Marketing and PR officer's office."

"Exactly!" Morgan said, looking as though he were imagining his name stained into the glass door. "Who better than to help you market video games than someone who _plays_ video games?"

Chuck chuckled. His friend was unbelievable. "Oh, I don't know, someone who actually has experience and a proper degree?"

"I'll have you know," Morgan said, turning back to face his friend. "That I happen to have a marketing degree from the El Segundo School of Finance." Chuck frowned.

"When did you get that?"

"Emmett made me go and get one after he made me the Ass Man," Morgan grumbled. Chuck gave a wet laugh.

"You're the Ass Man? Dude, that's great!"

"Maybe, if I were working under someone like Big Mike," Morgan said. "Sarah really hit the jackpot with hiring that guy. Emmett's a freaking psycho, dude. He carries mace, Chuck. Mace." Chuck winced. He remembered his days at the Buy More when he worked there over the summer as part of the Nerd Herd. Emmett really was a force to be reckoned with. In the worst possible way. He was glad that he no longer had to work with the man. "And don't even get me started on Tang!" The two friends groaned at the memory of the stocky Asian that constantly made their lives a living hell at the Buy More. "Ever since he got passed up for the Assistant Manager position, the stick up his ass seemed to wiggle its way higher."

"At least now you're higher than him in rank."

"That's the only upside. But it won't be for long," Morgan said, changing the subject. "Because pretty soon, I'll be working here. With you."

"Uh, Buddy."

"Oh, come on, Man. When have I ever let you down?" Morgan challenged.

"Actually–"

"Just think about it, Chuck. You and me, taking the video game world by storm." Morgan wrapped his arm around Chuck's shoulder and maneuvered them so that they faced the window overlooking Los Angeles. "You with your techy-know-how and me with my knowledge of various companies and conferences all over the world." Chuck actually thought about it. Working with Morgan would be great. It was actually the only thing he missed about working at the Buy More. And, his job as Assistant Manager proved that he was up to handle larger tasks. Plus, from what he'd heard, Morgan and Alex have been seeing each other regularly so that had to speak for the way Morgan carried himself recently. He stood straighter, walked with a purpose, was more mature – maturity being relative, especially in Morgan.

"You know what, Buddy?" he said. "You make a good point. I'll give you the job–"

"Yes!"

"–But!" Chuck interrupted. "You actually have to do work, Morgan. This is a big responsibility. You're gonna have to give up your mad work-avoidance skills." Morgan stepped back and saluted.

"Yes, sir! You got it, sir." Chuck rolled his eyes in amusement. "I will not let you down," Morgan said as he made his exit from the office.

"I know you won't, Buddy," Chuck called after him. "I hope," he added below his breath.

Just then, Daphne returned with a handful of deliverymen carrying large boxes. "Just place them in this large space and then we can start assembling once everything is up here," she told the men.

Chuck felt like dead weight watching the men work and Daphne dictate. He essentially was there to look over the work. Eventually, Chuck had found a corner with a plug and worked on the coding for his video game; he needed to be productive somehow. At around four-thirty, the workstations were nearly set up and the executive offices had furniture boxes in them, ready to be unpacked and assembled.

Right when he was about to let everyone go so that they could get some dinner, the office door opened and Sarah walked in with what smelled like bags of food. Chuck popped up from his spot on the floor and went over to greet his girlfriend. "Hey," he greeted her with a quick kiss.

"Hey, yourself," she smiled.

"What's in the bags?"

"I thought that you guys would be hungry so I made some dinner," she said like it was the most logical thing in the world. In her mind, it probably was.

"Thanks, Sarah." He took the bags of food from her and placed them on one of the completed workstations and laid out the spread that Sarah had prepared for them. It was pasta. Chicken Alfredo. She'd made a tray of it along with a basket of garlic bread. After he laid out the spread, he took a step back to let the men and Daphne get the first pickings. Chuck walked up to Sarah and pulled her into a hug. "You are the absolute best. I love you."

"I know," she replied with a smirk. Chuck chuckled before kissing her. When they pulled away, Chuck moved to stand behind Sarah with his arms wrapped around her shoulders and chest, his chin rested on the crown of her head. "It's really coming together," Sarah commented, regarding the office space. "I love the colors and hues."

"I can't take any of the credit," Chuck said. "Daphne is a drill sergeant. In two hours, they had three of the workstations built and finished, and the fourth one is almost done." Each workstation consisted of four separate desks, pushed together in little pods. Chuck was starting off with a small amount of programmers and graphic designers. Once they got on solid ground, then he would look to expanding and hiring more workers. "We also visited a sign shop today and I gave them the design for the logo that's gonna go on the wall."

"Really? Can I see it?" Sarah asked. Chuck had been super secretive about the logo and would show no one as he designed it himself. He said that it was something that he'd been imagining since forever and wanted to surprise everyone when the office was officially open.

"Nope," he said, popping the 'p'. "Sorry. You'll see it on Monday." Chuck could never refuse Sarah and he knew that if she pressed him enough, he would cave and show her the design he had on his phone. Luckily for him, she didn't push the subject.

"Fine. I can wait," she said instead. "I know how excited you are about this."

Chuck ducked his head into the crook of Sarah's neck and then kissed her gently. "I'm very excited about this. All my dreams are coming true."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I'm starting my own company, I'm gonna come out with my own video game, I'm set up in the _Die Hard_ office…" he said, motioning around them. "And most of all, I've got you by my side. And that's probably the best part about all of this." Sarah felt a warm smile creep up onto her face as well as a blush. Chuck was the sweetest man she'd ever met and half the time, he wasn't even trying. He genuinely felt that way.

With the workers all moved off to the side, having gotten their food, Chuck and Sarah moved in to grab their own plates. As they enjoyed the delicious meal, Chuck's phone rang. Checking the caller ID, he saw that it was Devon. "Yello?" Chuck answered.

"Chuckster! Dude, I've got the perfect plan to pop the Q," Devon stated, getting straight to the point.

"Let me guess. Naked 2K run?" Chuck asked. Sarah shot a strange look at him but said nothing.

"No, Chuck. Dinner," Devon's voice came up. "Romantic, candlelit dinner. Just the two of us. And the coup de grâce… Molten lava cake with a two-carat diamond filling."

"Wow, Devon, Ellie will really love that."

"Oh, hey, cake hits the oven in two hours. Don't be late."

"Gotcha." Sarah looked at Chuck with a question in her eyes. "It's time." Chuck said it in such a serious voice like he was in some kind of action movie and Sarah wanted to kiss him, he was so adorable. They quickly got the food containers all cleaned up and everyone out of the office before locking up and heading down to Sarah's restaurant.

They quickly made their way to the safe in Sarah's office and grabbed the ring box before hopping into Sarah's car, deciding to leave Chuck's at the restaurant. They parked outside of the apartment complex before making their way in.

"Bro! Perfect timing!" Devon called from the kitchen. Chuck handed the box to Devon and lead Sarah into his bedroom, shutting the door behind them.

"Mission accomplished," he breathed, flopping onto his bed. Sarah laughed and sat at the edge.

"Chuck, should we really be here while your sister and her boyfriend have dinner?" Chuck shot up so that he was sitting up with Sarah on the edge of the bed.

"Oh, my God. You're right." He shuddered and Sarah rolled her eyes at how cute he was. "We need to get out of here. Before I lose my sanity."

Sarah let out a wet laugh before standing up, taking her boyfriend's hand. "Come on, let's go see a movie."

"Right behind you!"

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Three hours later, Chuck and Sarah found themselves back in the courtyard of the Echo Park apartments. As they walked up to the Bartowski-Woodcomb unit, they stopped, peeking through the front window.

"You want to?" Sarah asked gesturing at the scene on the other side of the window.

"What spy? Which CIA did you study at again?" Chuck quipped before turning back to face the window. They watched as Ellie and Devon enjoyed chocolate lava cake on the couch. All of a sudden, Ellie's smile morphed into a frown and she pulled out a white gold diamond ring – slightly covered in chocolate – from her mouth. She and Devon appeared to have a small conversation before Devon sunk down onto his knee the ground. There was a few seconds of confusion on Ellie's face before it erupted into the brightest smile Chuck had ever seen on his sister's face. The newly engaged couple hugged and kissed.

"She looks so happy."

"They both do."

"Don't you think you should go in and congratulate Ellie?" Sarah asked.

"You want to come in with me?" Chuck asked, turning to face his girlfriend.

"Oh, it's family time."

"I know." They shared a smile and Sarah leaned in and kissed Chuck softly.

"Come on." Their fingers intertwined before they headed into the apartment.

"Hey guys!" Ellie greeted, now standing in the living room.

"Congratulations, Sis!" Chuck smiled before hugging his sister.

Sarah congratulated Devon before they switched so that Chuck was hugging Awesome and Sarah was hugging Ellie. When the two women pulled apart, the newly engaged woman showed the blonde her new ring. "Ellie, it's gorgeous," Sarah smiled. "But you may want to wash off the excess chocolate." They giggled before dissolving into a hushed conversation.

"Thanks for your help, Bro," Devon said.

"Anything to make Ellie happy," Chuck replied.

Devon clapped Chuck on the back. "And, man. I know it's still early, but you and Sarah…"

"You know, Awesome? You're right. It's still early." Devon winked.

"Alright. I catch your drift," he said.

Devon and Ellie decided to head to bed shortly after, leaving Chuck and Sarah alone in the living room. "Thank you for letting me be a part of that," Sarah said as she cuddled into his side.

"Sarah, you're a part of this family," Chuck said. "Whether or not you want to believe that." They both chuckled.

Sarah smiled. "I believe that."

* * *

AWWW... They so cute! So... Tell me what you thought. I'm really curious. See you in two weeks!

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Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	17. Chuck Versus the Past

And now... the end is near... Of the semester, by the way... Not the story. :P Enjoy the next chapter!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Chuck. Otherwise I wouldn't be writing on here.

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the Past**

It was one of the rare nights that Chuck worked as part of the wait staff at _Il Castello_. Ever since his company officially opened two weeks before, he'd been working with his newly hired programmers and designers to finish developing his video game. He still dropped by the restaurant for the weekly server diagnostics but rarely did he work as part of the wait staff anymore.

To be quite honest, he missed it. He loved seeing the look on the patrons face when they bit into Sarah's food and the smile they had when they left the restaurant at the end of their meal. He missed the chaos of the kitchen and the look of focus on Sarah's face whenever she was head chef. She truly was in her element when she was in the kitchen.

The night was nearing to a close and Chuck had deemed the service another success. It always was, but things seemed to have run extra smooth. As he made his way back toward the kitchen to check on the entrées that one of his tables ordered, another patron, not from his section, raised his hand – the universal sign for 'waiter!' Chuck quickly looked around to see if Mei-Ling was anywhere but when he saw a glimpse of her in the kitchen, he decided to field the request himself. He walked up to the table with a smile. "Yes, sir, how may I help you?" he asked, politely.

"We ordered the calamari for our appetizer and would like to know which wine pairing would go best." The man looked to be around his early forties and had a French accent.

"Of course! Might I suggest one of our white wines, perhaps a Chardonnay or Roussanne. The rich flavor is a great pairing for seafood and poultry should you wish to order that for your entrée," Chuck said. It was pretty funny. Chuck had never known anything about wine – he preferred beer or some of the harder stuff – but working at Sarah's restaurant, he quickly had to learn what went with what. The woman, who's back was originally turned toward him, since he stood behind her thinking that he'd only be a second, turned and Chuck had to do a double take when he took a glance.

"Chuck?" the woman said in confusion. Chuck was frozen for a second before his brain rebooted.

"Jill?" he asked in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

Jill chuckled. "I'm enjoying a late dinner with my boss," she explained. "Chuck, this is Guy LaFleur. We actually just got out of a biomedical conference."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. And what about you? You're a waiter?"

"Oh, you know. I'm here part time. My company is actually just starting out so the extra cash helps."

"That's great, Chuck."

Chuck, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable, quickly excused himself. "Well, I'll go let Mei-Ling know about your bottle of wine. I've got my own tables to check on." Jill smiled and nodded in understanding.

"Chuck," she called out before he was too far. He turned to face her. "I'd really like to catch up with you. Maybe we can grab lunch or something tomorrow?"

"Uh… We'll see." With that, Chuck rushed off to the kitchen and relayed Jill and Guy's request for a bottle to Mei-Ling before grabbing the plates for his own tables.

Eventually, there were only a few tables that still had patrons; Chuck's entire station, however, was cleared out. As he finished clearing out the last table of his station, he noted that of the remaining patrons, Jill and her boss were two of them. He dropped off the remaining empty dessert plates to the dishwashing tray when Mei-Ling caught up with him. "Hey, Chuck."

"Yeah."

"Do you think you could cover my last table?"

"Why what's up?"

"It's my brother," she said. "He just called and said there's a family emergency. I already talked to Sarah and she said it was fine."

"Yeah, sure. Which table?"

"Table twenty-two," she told him as she handed him the table's bill.

"Got it." He felt himself deflate slightly. That was Jill and Guy's table. What was it with his and Sarah's past catching up with them at this restaurant? As he headed back out to the front of the house, Sarah stopped him right outside the door that separated the front from the back.

"Hey," she said, holding onto his arm.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Would it be cool if I spent the night tonight?" she asked.

"Of course. Always. May I ask why this time, out of every time before, you have to ask?" Chuck smirked. Sarah rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless.

"Zondra was out on a date with her boyfriend tonight," was all Sarah had to say for Chuck to catch her drift.

"Ahh… I see. Yeah, of course you can spend the night." He leaned forward so that his lips were right by her ear. "Maybe Zondra won't be the only one getting lucky tonight," he whispered huskily. Sarah shuddered. Their recently acquired sex life was active and fantastic. Chuck had a tendency to let Sarah take charge and set the pace and Sarah enjoyed it. But, very rarely did Chuck take charge like that in the bedroom. And Sarah loved every second of it. As much as she loved the control that Chuck gave her, she loved it more when he was confident and she gladly gave him control.

"Great," she breathed, already anticipating their night ahead. She fought back the urge to give him a quick kiss since they were in plain view of several patrons and settled for a furtive squeeze on his forearm. "I'll see you in a bit."

Chuck watched as she disappeared back behind the double swinging doors. When he turned around, he saw that Jill had been watching the exchange between him and Sarah. There was a strange look on her features but once she realized that he was looking back at her, it disappeared quickly. Shaking it off, he walked over to Jill and Guy's table and handed them their bill. "Here's your bill. Can I go ahead and clear your plates?"

"Of course," Guy replied, leaning back slightly to allow Chuck room to grab their empty dessert plates. The rest of the tables had cleared by that point making Jill and Guy the last customers in the restaurant. The wait staff had already started cleaning up the stations so that after the pair left there wouldn't be much to do. The kitchen was already spotless and the kitchen staff was mostly gone.

"I'll be right back," he said as he took the plates. He disappeared quickly to drop off the plates before reappearing to grab the bill and run the card. When he returned to give Guy his credit card, he smiled. "Thank you for dining with us, tonight. We hope that you enjoyed your meal." He glanced briefly at Jill before disappearing once more.

He didn't know what he felt about seeing his ex-girlfriend again. It was… weird. How were you supposed to feel after seeing your college girlfriend years after you found her in bed with another guy? Especially if that guy was your roommate? He knew for sure that there were no residual feelings for her. Not when he had Sarah, who continuously made him feel like he was on top of the world. But he'd been so hung up on her before Sarah came into his life. He never dated, instead choosing to bury himself in work at Roark Instruments as a distraction. It was like the spring had run dry. She'd destroyed him. She'd broken his heart and took away his confidence; Chuck had lost his mojo.

Seeing her again… He put down the strange feeling as due to 'lack of closure.' After he'd walked in on them, he left the room, Jill running after him, wrapped up in bed sheets. He moved out of his room and into a different one that was at the complete opposite end of the frat house. He ignored his roommate and Jill for the remainder of the semester and never looked back after graduation.

Gathering his things, Chuck met up with Sarah who was in her office. "Hey, you ready to go?" he asked, leaning against the doorjamb.

"Yup. Let's go," she said. "You good here, Casey?" she called out to the kitchen manager who had opted to stay back and close up. The burly man simply grunted with a nod and the couple was off.

Chuck and Casey rode into work together so Chuck's car wasn't in the restaurant parking lot. As they made their way toward Sarah's car, a voice called out to him. "Chuck!" The couple turned around to see Jill doing that weird cross between a jog and a fast-walk that women did when they were in heels.

"Jill." Chuck felt Sarah stiffen slightly from beside him, her grip tightening around his arm.

"Chuck, I really think we need to talk. I would really like to catch up. You know, maybe get some lunch or something?" the brunette said. Sarah coughed, briefly getting Chuck's attention.

"Oh! Uh, Jill, this is my girlfriend, Sarah. Sarah, this is Jill… my ex," Chuck introduced, finishing awkwardly.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," Sarah said, holding a hand out, politely. Despite the smile on his blonde girlfriend's face, he could tell how on edge Sarah was. They'd spoken vaguely about Jill before and Chuck was sure that Ellie had spoken to Sarah about his ex at some point. "Sarah Walker."

"Sarah Walker… You're the owner?" Jill asked when they released their hold on each other her eyes as wide as the saucers in the restaurant.

"I am."

"And you're dating Chuck?"

"You seem shocked."

"No, I just… He works for you," Jill said.

"Not really," Sarah replied. "He's just a sweetheart that loves to help out. Don't you, Sweetie?" She was really playing up the affection, wrapping her arms around his waist and tucking herself into his side.

"I sure do… Sweetie," Chuck answered awkwardly.

"Right… Well, Chuck. I really just want to talk," Jill said, changing the subject and focusing back on her ex. "We left things on such a bad note at Stanford. I want to make things right." She dug into her purse and pulled out a business card. She held it out and he took it hesitantly. "I know I'm the last person you want to talk to, but I really hope that you'll change your mind." She gave a small smile before turning and walking away.

Chuck and Sarah soon found their way back to Casa Bartowski and ever the gentleman, Chuck let Sarah use the restroom and get ready for bed first. By the time he got out of the restroom, he found Sarah sitting up near the top of the bed, a small piece of paper in her hands. "Whatcha lookin' at?" he asked as he scooted in close to her.

"Jill's card," she answered, passing it to him. He took it in one hand and stared at the name and contact information of his ex that was printed so boldly on the tiny white rectangle. "Are you gonna see her?" Sarah asked. Chuck looked over at his girlfriend and sighed.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "A part of me never wants to see her again… But this other part has so many questions."

"You wouldn't be Chuck if you didn't have questions," Sarah commented fondly. "It's one of the things I love about you."

Chuck placed the business card on the nightstand and pulled Sarah into his arms. "You know what? I don't need to see her," he said. "I've got you. That's all I need."

"Chuck, are you sure?"

"Absolutely." Sarah pulled back and looked into her boyfriend's eyes. She could see the love he had for her in them, but she could also see the conflict and doubt. She didn't know much about Jill. Just the few things that Chuck and Ellie had told her. But, from what she'd gathered, Jill was the reason that Chuck was so insecure about himself and she couldn't stand to see him think less of himself. And, she knew that the only way he could ever get over it would be if he talked to Jill and got the answers he needed.

"Chuck," she said. "I think you should talk to Jill." The confusion on the curly haired nerd's face was enough to let Sarah know that that was the last thing he thought he would hear her say.

"Really?"

"Yes. You may think that you'll be fine without getting those answers but I know you. You won't be. You need to find out why she did what she did. It won't be pretty. You might not like the answers you get. But at the end of the day. You'll get to come home to me and we can order a pizza and watch a movie. Your choice."

"You really want me to go see her?"

"Of course not. In fact, I'd want nothing more than to beat her ass for hurting you. But I think you need to see her."

"Tomorrow's Sunday."

"I know. It's our day. But I'm willing to give up one hour if it means you'll get what you finally deserve."

"Sarah Walker, you are the best. I love you so much."

"Mmmm… Not as much as I love you," she hummed as she kissed him.

"That sounds like a challenge," Chuck smirked. "I accept. I'll show you."

And show her he did.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The next morning, Chuck walked into the kitchen to find his sister, moving about. "Hey, Sis. You just get home?"

Ellie spun around. "Hey, Chuck! Yeah, I did."

"Where's Awesome?"

"He got pulled in for an emergency coronary angioplasty. He should be home in an hour or so," she answered somewhat distractedly. "Did Sarah spend the night? Cause the door's closed and the lights in the bathroom are on and you're not in it." Chuck chuckled.

"Yeah. Sarah spent the night," he said, taking a seat on one of the barstools. "By the way, I want to talk to you."

"Of course, anything. Is it about Sarah?"

"No," he replied. Ellie frowned, but remained silent allowing him to gather his thoughts. "Do you ever think about your ex-boyfriend, Doug Wald?"

Ellie scoffed. "No. Why?"

"Hypothetically, theoretically, let's say you totally randomly bump into each other and he asked you out for like a lunch or something just to catch up… What would you say?"

"I guess, hypothetically, theoretically, I'd say yes." Chuck let out a relieved sigh.

"Alright… I feel a lot better now."

"Chuck, what is this about?"

"I'm going out to lunch with Jill today." He confessed.

"What?! Jill?! No! No! No! Absolutely not!"

"What? Wh-What about what you just said about Doug?" Chuck protested.

"Forget what I just said! Chuck, there is absolutely no scenario in which you should be going to lunch with the girl that broke your heart and slept with your roommate." Ellie took a deep breath to calm herself. "Look, I'm trying not to be the overprotective big sister–"

"You? Never," Chuck quipped; Ellie ignored it.

"–But she hurt you and I just don't want to see you go through that again." Chuck knew that his sister was just looking out for him. That's what they did. They looked out for one another. Ever since their mom took off, it was really just them. Their dad wasn't really present in their childhood so when he disappeared, there wasn't much of a change. Chuck and Ellie had learned long before that they had to take care of each other and for the longest time, it was just the two of them. They told each other everything and went to each other for advice all the time. And while Ellie could get extremely overprotective, he knew he had his moments where he was overprotective over her.

"To be fair, this wasn't my idea," Chuck defended, which also seemed to fall on deaf ears.

"Is everything alright? I heard yelling," Sarah interrupted, fully dressed in yoga pants and a T-shirt – which just so happened to be one of Chuck's old Stanford tees – her hair pulled into a sloppy bun at the crown of her head.

"Chuck wants to have lunch with his ex-girlfriend," Ellie explained. "Please tell him it's a bad idea."

Sarah's concerned expression melted away to one that was more sheepish. "Actually, Ellie… I was the one that told him he should."

Ellie's eyes went wide in shock. "What? Sarah, why…?"

"Because I think it'd be good for him," the blonde answered honestly. "A lot of ends were left open, a lot of questions left unanswered, and I think it's time for him to finally get those answers." She walked up to Chuck and sat beside him, her hand finding his curls automatically. "Trust me, Ellie, the last thing I want is for Chuck to get hurt. I love him too much. I think this would be good for him." Ellie calmed down significantly after hearing Sarah's explanation, but she still had a frown on her face.

"I still don't like it… But I guess Sarah is right," she agreed hesitantly. "But please, Chuck. Be careful."

"Don't worry, Sis," Chuck said. "I'm different now. I've got Sarah with me." He pulled Sarah into his side and kissed her temple affectionately.

Once Ellie was convinced to let Chuck go through with his meeting Jill for lunch, she left the kitchen to take a shower before going to take a nap. Chuck and Sarah remained, still in their embrace.

"So… what are you going to do while I'm at lunch with Jill?" he asked.

"I think I'm going to go to the gym. I haven't had time to work out in a while," Sarah answered, gesturing to her outfit.

"What? Last night wasn't a work out for you?" Chuck smirked. A blush colored Sarah's cheeks.

"Shut up," she muttered, burrowing her face into his neck. "That's a different kind of work out and you know it." Chuck chuckled and pulled away slightly to kiss her. "Do you want me to drop you off at the café?"

"Sure," Chuck said. "That way we can go do something right after." Sarah smiled.

"Well, we've got some time before we have to go, why don't we watch a movie in your room before we leave?"

"Perfect."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Sarah knew of a small deli that would be perfect for Chuck and Jill to have their lunch. So, she told Chuck about it and he told Jill. It just so happened that Sarah _also_ knew the owner of said deli. Lou Palone was a good friend of hers from the gym that she frequented. They'd met during a kickboxing session and were paired together. The deli owner was a full head shorter than Sarah but the two girls became fast friends. Sarah knew that she could count on the shorter brunette to keep an eye on things.

After dropping off Chuck, Sarah pulled out her phone and dialed the Deli's number.

"Lou's Deli. How may I help you?" the familiar voice asked.

"Lou!"

"Sarah? Hey! What's up?"

"I wanted to ask a favor. It's nothing big or anything."

"Uh… Sure. What's up?"

"The big tall guy that just walked in? Curly hair? That's my boyfriend, Chuck," Sarah said. She explained the situation briefly. "You don't have to interfere or anything but if you think it's getting really out of hand…"

"Don't worry, Sarah. I got it covered," Lou assured.

"Thanks, Lou. I owe you one." She could practically hear the smirk on Lou's face.

"How about setting me up with your cute pastry chef...?" she suggested.

"Brody?" Sarah chuckled. "Sure, yeah. I'll look into it." The two girls laughed.

"Right, well, I've got to go. Customers to feed."

"Of course! Thanks again, Lou."

"No problem," she said. Lou hung up the phone to face the customer at the glass. It was pretty slow in the shop since it was still a little early for lunch rush. The man Sarah had pointed out to her over the phone, Chuck, was standing right at the counter with a smile on his face, though she could sense a bit of nervousness behind it. "Hey there, what can I get you?"

"Did I just hear you say Sarah?" he asked with a slight frown.

"You did," Lou confirmed. "Your girlfriend's worried." The man let out a breathy chuckle.

"I'm guessing she called you in as reinforcements?" Lou smiled.

"I'm Lou." An eyebrow quirked in curiosity and interest but otherwise, he said nothing. Instead, he held out a hand.

"Chuck Bartowski." She took his hand and gave it a firm shake before releasing it again.

"Nice to meet you, Chuck," she said. "What can I get you?"

"Let me get seedless rye, pastrami – end cut. Cole slaw on top, lather it. Top it off with some muenster." Lou raised a brow. The man knew how to make a good sandwich.

"That it?"

"Yeah, after you shut it down on the grill." Lou chuckled and placed the sandwich on the Panini press.

"You are definitely Sarah's boyfriend, I'll give you that," she said. "You make a mean sandwich. I might just have to name it after you." Chuck chuckled.

"Oh, Sarah will get a kick out of that," he joked. "How much do I owe you?"

"On the house," Lou insisted.

"I insist," he protested.

"Nah, I like you, Chuck," she said with an amicable smile. She knew he was with Sarah and she respected that. She hoped they could be friends. "Besides, you're with Sarah so you're good."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely." He smiled.

"You know, if you ever visit _Il Castello_ , let me know and we can try to work out covering your meal, as a thanks."

Lou nodded. "I'll hold you to it." Lou handed Chuck his sandwich and right then, the bell over the door rang, signaling another customer. It was a brunette with pin straight hair and glasses. Lou had no idea who she was but the look on Chuck's face and the visible gulp, told her that the woman who just walked in was his ex. Sure enough, the customer scanned the room, stopping when her gaze landed on Chuck.

"Chuck," she said relief lacing her tone. Chuck stood stock still, holding his sandwich in his hand.

"Jill," he replied, unsure of how he was supposed to greet her. He cleared his throat. "Why don't you order something while I go get us a table?" he offered. Jill nodded hesitantly and Chuck walked to a booth that was near the back so that they could have some privacy.

Five minutes later, Jill sat across from him, her own sandwich in front of her. This was it. This was his chance to get all the answers he'd been searching for. He wasn't going to waste it. However, rather than jump right into it, they sat, silently, awkwardly. That went on until half of their sandwiches were finished.

Jill set hers down and looked up at Chuck. "Chuck," she began. "I'm so glad that things worked out for you." Chuck frowned.

"Why wouldn't things work out for me?"

"I heard you got a job at Roark but after it dissolved, I just thought…"

"Thought what? That I'd mope around?" Jill was silent. "That I'd just roll over and waste away? Did you think that I'd do that when I found you in Brett's bed? That I'd sit around waiting for you to come back to me?" Jill bit her lip and fell silent again. Chuck winced slightly. He was never confrontational, nor one to hold a grudge, but all of the pent up emotions of hurt and betrayal had manifested themselves into anger.

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea," Jill said. Chuck sighed.

"This was _your_ idea," he reminded her. He rubbed a tired hand over his face. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Lou ready to step in if needed. He appreciated having backup. "Look, Jill," he began, changing the pace of the conversation. "I just want to know why. Why cheat on me?" Jill remained silent, unsure of what to say. When she didn't respond, Chuck added, "Was I not good enough for you?"

"Chuck, you were perfect," she replied immediately.

"Then why?"

"I came to see you," she began, her voice low. "You weren't there, but Brett was. He told me you'd gone out and that he didn't know when you'd be back, so he offered to let me wait in the room for you. We started talking and… the next thing I knew we were kissing… and then we were in his bed… and then you were walking in. Chuck, it had nothing to do with you."

Chuck shook his head. He didn't know what he could say to that. He knew Brett. He was the guy that could always get the girl. He was everything that Chuck wasn't: suave, confident, smooth, charming. It was no surprise to Chuck that Brett would have flirted with Jill if he ever got the chance. But, he put his trust in Jill that she wouldn't fall for the crap that Brett would put out – and he knew Brett would say and do anything to get the girl. He scoffed in self-deprecation. "Brett always had a way with the ladies," he said.

"Chuck, I'm sorry," Jill apologized sincerely. "I never wanted to hurt you." Just then, the bell over the door rang signaling the arrival of another customer, breaking the silence between the two. Chuck glanced over quickly when a flash of blonde was caught in his peripherals. Sarah had just walked in. The back and the neckline of her T-shirt – his T-shirt – were slightly darkened with sweat and parts of her hair had escaped from her ponytail, framing her flushed face. She looked like she just came from an intense workout session. She walked straight up to the counter and put in an order for a sandwich – probably a Turkey Swiss with lettuce and tomato on wheat with a pickle on the side; it was her go-to post-workout sandwich, full of carbs, protein, and vitamins. After a nod to Lou, who got started on the sandwich, Sarah made her way over to Chuck and Jill's table.

"Hey!" she greeted cheerily, kissing Chuck chastely, before sitting beside him. "How are things going?" There was a momentary pause before Chuck answered.

"They're… They're going okay… H-How was your workout?" he asked, hoping his voice didn't relay how awkward he felt.

"It was good," Sarah replied, seeming to think she could make up for all the awkwardness at that one table. Or, maybe she was enjoying how uncomfortable Chuck was sitting across from his ex and beside his current girlfriend. With Sarah, he could never know.

An awkward silence surrounded them until Sarah's phone rang. "Oh, it's Ellie, I'll take this over there." She kissed Chuck on the cheek and left the table, going toward the back of the deli where it was quieter so that she could take the call. "Hello?"

"Hey, Sarah," Ellie greeted. "How's everything going?"

Sarah blew out a breath of air, causing one of the loose strands of her hair to fly up momentarily. "I could cut the tension between them with a spoon," Sarah said. "Lou called me and said that things were getting pretty intense between them so I came over to see if I could ease the tension. Nope."

"Yikes," Ellie sympathized. "It was a really bad break up."

"I can tell. Anyway, why did you call?"

"Oh! Right! I meant to ask you this morning but then everything happened and it slipped my mind." Ellie paused for a bit before continuing. "How would you feel about being one of my bridesmaids?" she asked. A smile grew on Sarah's face.

"Really?"

"Absolutely! You're like family and it would make me so happy."

A warm feeling filled Sarah's chest that she couldn't quite place. "I'd be honored, Ellie. Thank you."

"I know that Sundays are usually for you and Chuck to spend together since you're both so busy now, so maybe sometime this week we can get together and do lunch or dinner?"

"Absolutely!"

"Great! Now, go save my little brother from death by awkward tension." Sarah laughed.

"I'll try." They hung up and Sarah smiled before heading back out to the table where Chuck and Jill sat. Just before she got close, Lou stopped her.

"I wouldn't," she said.

"Why?"

"They're starting to really hash it out now that the deli is practically empty and I think that Chuck is making good progress." The two peeked around the corner and listened closely to what Chuck was saying.

"Jill, I loved you, and I trusted you and you betrayed that," he said, emotion thick in his voice. "You _ruined_ me. You were my first real girlfriend and before you, I had a pretty low self-esteem. I was never good with talking to girls nor was I classically handsome like guys like Brett. I always felt like you could do better than me and that you were just settling for me. And just when I started to have confidence in myself, when I started to believe that I could deserve someone as smart and as beautiful as you, you go and cheat on me; it destroyed me. My confidence, my self-esteem, everything." He paused for a moment to collect himself. "But despite all of that," he said taking a deep breath. "I want to thank you, Jill." Jill's confused face probably matched the one on Sarah and Lou's. "If you hadn't cheated, we wouldn't have broken up. Hell, we'd probably be engaged or married by this point in time. But if we were together, then I wouldn't have met Sarah." Sarah couldn't see because his back was turned to her, but she could hear the smile that made its way onto his face.

"It wasn't until Sarah came along that I started to believe in myself again." Sarah's breath hitched as she waited to hear what he had to say about her. "She put me back together, piece by piece, and she didn't even realize it," he chuckled sadly. "We weren't even together yet and she believed that I could do and achieve great things. And now we're together and I'm happy. More than happy. Yeah, there are still days where I wonder why she chose me… I'm still working on that. But, Sarah's the kind of girl that doesn't do things lightly. Everything she does, she does for a reason. It's one of the things I love about her. So, I know that if she chose me, then she has a reason for it."

"So, thank you Jill," he said again. "Thank you for making it possible that I could find Sarah." It was bad. Sarah knew it. But, she couldn't help the wide smile that spread across her face. That was the man she loved out there, telling his ex that he was thankful that they broke up.

Sarah couldn't help herself as she turned the corner to reach them. She schooled her features to keep herself from revealing that she'd been eavesdropping. "I'm back," she said.

Jill cleared her throat and stood up. "I, um, I should go." Chuck simply nodded and Jill was gone.

Sarah took her seat beside her boyfriend and ran a comforting hand across his back. "How do you feel?" she asked.

He rubbed a hand across his face. "Better," he admitted. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. "You were right. I needed that." Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Of course I'm right," she smirked, but then she got serious. "I'm glad you feel better about the whole situation. Maybe now, you can let go of the past and look forward to the future. _Our_ future."

He gave her a reassuring smile. "I already have."

* * *

Aren't they cute? It's so funny how I read some of y'all reviews and I'm literally like, LOL It's totally taken care of already. ;) I am still a couple of chapters ahead of the ones that are posted so hopefully through Finals I'll still be able to post regularly.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	18. Chuck Versus the Beach

I know. I missed a week and I'm a terrible person. In my defense, it's Finals week and I've had an insane amount of papers, exams, and presentation to do. So... not really a lot of time for me to be writing. But! I'm here now so enjoy the next chapter!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Chuck. Never have and I probably never will. *sigh*

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the Beach**

"So… you're going with Sarah for a weekend in Malibu?" Ellie asked in her classic sing-songy voice. Chuck rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. I am," he replied as he continued to pack his clothes. "I thought we discussed this when we had dinner on Monday."

"We did, but I need details, Chuck. How long have you been planning this? Or was it a spontaneous thing?" Ellie laid across his bed ready to gossip like Chuck was one of her girlfriends. To be fair, they _did_ talk about everything.

"Sarah's been wanting to do something like this since Valentine's Day," he said with a shrug.

"Chuck, that was over two months ago!"

"Yeah, I know," Chuck admitted. "But I've been really busy with trying to get the finishing touches on this game done. We're almost there and we're going to start beta testing soon." Ellie huffed. " _Plus_ , it wasn't like we could go to the beach in _February_. It'd be freezing."

"That's true. Well, at least now you're spending time with your girlfriend," she said. "Oh, by the way, I wanted to tell you…" Ellie trailed off, not bothering to continue on.

"What?" Chuck prompted.

"Devon and I are planning on moving," Ellie said. Chuck froze from packing and looked up at his older sister.

"What? When? Where? Why?"

Ellie shot him a look. "You wanna throw a 'How?' in there too? Complete the set?" she deadpanned.

"I'm serious, El," Chuck argued. "Why are you moving? If anything, I should be moving. I'm on steady feet now." Ellie shook her head.

"Not really," she reminded him. "Not until your game gets released and you turn a profit."

Chuck deflated. "Thanks for the reminder."

"But really, Devon and I want a bigger place," she said honestly. "We're getting married and we're gonna have kids, eventually."

"Well, where are you going to move to?"

Ellie gave a sly smile. "Not far… In fact… We're just across the courtyard. It opened up and we're taking it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm sure you can find a roommate to help cover the cost for this apartment since it's much cheaper. Maybe… Sarah?"

Chuck thought about it. Sarah did practically spend the night every night anyways. And, if she moved in with him, then Zondra would have her own place, too. Besides, Casa Bartowski was so much closer to _Il Castello_ than Maison23. It was definitely a good idea. "I'll think about it, Sis."

"Good. You've got some time. We're working on the paperwork and everything."

"Let me know, then."

Ellie flipped over so she was laying on her back and continued to talk to Chuck about the stuff she'd been up to at the hospital. She told him about an aneurism she'd clipped and a gnarly tumor that she'd helped remove with one of the attending neurolsurgeons. Of course she mentioned no names due to HIPAA laws, but it was nice to just talk and hang out with each other. Chuck told her all about his progress on his video game. They were polishing the coding and sprucing up the graphics so that they ran smoother but soon, they'd release a playable trailer to gain an idea of what the general public thought.

He also talked to her about the fact that Morgan was working for him. The little bearded man really stepped up ever since he started working for Chuck. Actually… Chuck had started to notice a change in his best friend ever since he and Casey's daughter, Alex, started talking. The pair had even spent Valentine's Day together, much to Casey's chagrin, and disgust. Morgan had received a scowl from the kitchen manager and a very possible threat – "You break her heart, I break your everything." Chuck had laughed when Morgan had told him about it and assured him that he'd received the same threat when Casey found out Chuck and Sarah were together. Casey was a poppa bear like that. Morgan had grumbled and stated that it wasn't the same because Alex was his only daughter. Chuck simply shrugged and turned back to work.

Morgan was a huge help for _Orion Tech_ as the vice president in marketing. The man knew his video game and distribution companies, and he knew exactly how to sell the game to them. It was amazing. A couple of emails fired off from Morgan and Chuck was already getting offers to meet with representatives so that they could take a look at his game and maybe put in an offer.

Ellie was even more surprised than Chuck that Morgan was becoming more mature. She of course also attributed it to Alex's influence on him. "Maybe with Alex in the picture, he'll finally let go of that ridiculous crush," she said. Chuck snorted.

"Here's to hoping." Chuck lifted an invisible champagne flute and Ellie matched him, the siblings pretending to do a cheers. Ellie's phone rang not long after that and when she saw that it was a page from the hospital, she got up from the bed.

"I've got to go. There was a pileup on the 405. They need all hands on deck," she explained.

"Go save lives." They hugged.

"If I don't see you before you leave," she said. "Tell Sarah I say, 'Hi', and stay safe, okay?"

"You got it, Sis." Ellie left shortly after that. When Chuck finally finished packing, he brought his suitcase out into the living room, sitting it by the front door, ready to go.

He'd watched a couple of rerun episodes of _Friends_ before Sarah finally showed up. He greeted her with a kiss and a hug. "You ready to go?" she asked when they pulled.

"Born ready," he answered. "Well, I wasn't actually born ready… I was just saying that… I'm ready… For this trip…" Sarah giggled and placed another kiss on his lips.

"Then let's get this bag in the car and we can go." Chuck nodded and grabbed his suitcase. Locking the apartment door behind him, he followed Sarah out to her car and stowed the luggage in the trunk along with Sarah's then climbed into the passenger's seat.

The Porsche roared to life and Sarah peeled away from the curb toward Malibu. They'd rented a small, but nice, beach house for the weekend and Sarah couldn't wait to finally get to spend time with Chuck without the worry of work or responsibilities. They still saw each other daily, of course, but their meetings were short and completely unsatisfying. Sarah used the excuse that she was too tired to drive all the way back to her own apartment after the dinner service or that Zondra's boyfriend was staying over too many times to be believable. Thankfully, Chuck was too much of a gentleman to call her out on it – hell, he probably enjoyed the fact that she spent the night almost every night.

Getting the opportunity to have her boyfriend all to herself for an entire weekend was quite literally a dream come true. As they merged onto the 10 East toward the 1, she lowered the roof of her convertible and Chuck turned up the radio so that it blasted KIIS-FM. He sang along loudly, but not terribly. Sarah chose to sit back and just enjoy being in the presence of the talented nerd. They hit a small bout of traffic on the interchange from the 10 to the 1 and Chuck had garnered some strange looks from the surrounding cars as he belted out 'I Kissed a Girl' by Katy Perry. The recently released hit was so catchy that it only took Chuck a day to learn the lyrics and he constantly sang it just to mess with her. Sarah rolled her eyes at how insane Chuck looked but laughed when he leaned in close to drop a kiss on her cheek. The song finally ended just as the traffic started to let up.

"You are so crazy," she giggled.

"Yeah… But you love this crazy," he smirked. She took his hand over the console.

"Yeah, I do."

It was over an hour later that they arrived at the beach house and Sarah and Chuck had divvied up the work so that Sarah carried in the groceries they'd bought to last them the weekend while Chuck lugged their luggage. Sarah made a beeline for the kitchen. Chuck rolled his eyes in amusement before setting off to find the master bedroom so that he could deposit their bags there.

Chuck found Sarah still in the kitchen putting away groceries. "Does it satisfy your tastes, oh, master chef?" he joked. Sarah turned around to face him with an unamused look on her face.

"Aren't you just a comedian," she deadpanned.

"I'm here all week." He smiled and walked up to her; he wrapped his arms around her waist and dropped a kiss to her lips. "Need any help cooking lunch?" he asked. "You know… I've been told that I'm pretty good in the kitchen now." He smirked. Sarah playfully slapped his chest.

"Shut up, you goof," she giggled. "Actually, I was thinking we could get changed and then take a walk down the beach to the pier and see what kind of food they've got over there."

"Now, that sounds like a plan."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The walk to the pier wasn't very long. Maybe about fifteen minutes, give or take. Of course, walking to the pier with Chuck… That was a different story. The large nerd was like a child on the beach. He pointed out every little thing and insisted on splashing Sarah whenever a wave lapped their feet. Sarah, on the other hand, loved treasure hunting and stopped them every time she saw something that looked like sea glass. That fifteen minute walk became forty-five. But, it wasn't all for naught. Sarah had found various seashells and sea glass – which she kept in Chuck's pockets because he had them and she didn't – and Chuck had worked up an appetite for some food. They settled into a table by the pier railing so that they had a view of the ocean and the endless line of beach houses. A waitress walked up to them and handed them menus after briefly introducing herself. She left them after taking down their drinks – lemonade for Chuck, iced tea for Sarah – so that they could look over the menu. They quickly decided on some crab cakes to start, a burger for Chuck and a grilled salmon sandwich for Sarah. After placing their order, Chuck turned to admire the ocean view in front of them. "It's incredible, isn't it?" he marveled.

"What is?" Sarah asked, her attention solely on him.

"This view," he clarified. "I mean… look at it. The Pacific Ocean. It's the largest ocean on Earth and it's right in our backyard." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sarah look out toward the ocean as well. The blonde didn't say anything and Chuck couldn't exactly get a read on her thoughts because her eyes were hidden behind her sunglasses. Figuring that she wasn't going to say anything, he continued on. "I always loved the ocean. You know… Whenever I was troubled or just wanted a place to think, I would go to the beach. I don't know, I just… The ocean just always made my problems feel so much smaller. It helps me think clearer." Chuck turned to look at his girlfriend to see that she was looking right back at him. There was a soft smile on her face. He took her hand in his and placed a kiss on her knuckles.

"Thank you for sharing that," she said. Chuck opened his mouth to respond but the waitress showed up right then to give them their food. That seemed to end the moment between the two and they moved on to lighter topics.

After lunch, Chuck and Sarah found themselves strolling along the beach again, this time simply enjoying the serene environment. Spring Break was _long_ over and it being the middle of April meant that there weren't quite as many vacationers and tourists around, so the only other people on the beach were mainly locals.

There was a game of sand volleyball going on that looked really interesting and Sarah motioned to Chuck to go check it out. She'd also seen a surf shop along the street when they first arrived and she was already planning on renting a board and buying a suit. The blonde absolutely loved surfing, despite being born in New York. During her time at the CIA campus in Napa, she'd picked it up and fell in love. She'd also picked up some volleyball as a pastime. Getting work in Italy didn't really lend herself to do the two sports she actually enjoyed. She was hoping she could rekindle that flame over the weekend and maybe even get Chuck – who was not athletic by nature – at least open to the idea.

She led Chuck to where a crowd had formed around the court and the two enjoyed the game that was currently going on. It looked like a co-ed doubles game and from what she could take in, they were on the third set, the score being 13-14 with the set point belonging to the brunette couple on the court.

"Man! This is intense!" Chuck said to Sarah as the blond couple got the deuce.

"You know how to play?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, sure, you could say that," he answered. "I played with Ellie whenever we took trips to the beach when we were teenagers and I played for fun in college with Brett – my roommate. You know, before everything that happened. I wouldn't say I'm very good, though. The only real thing I've got going for me is my height and the fact that I don't have to actually catch anything." Sarah nodded in understanding with a slight chuckle. She also couldn't help the surge of pride that Chuck could talk about his Stanford days without getting that far off, melancholy look in his eyes like he used to. "You play?" His question spurred her back to reality.

"Yeah. In college when I was in Napa," she responded, not bothering to elaborate. Just then, the game ended with the brunette team winning 18-16.

The girl had a smug look on her face. "Any other takers?" she asked arrogantly. The rest of the crowd groaned and started to disperse. "Seriously? No one? Figures. We're the best team on this beach!" Sarah felt a surge of annoyance at the girl's bragging. She hated bullies and this girl clearly was a bully on this court.

"I wish someone would beat them already," the person standing beside Sarah muttered.

"Really?" she asked, getting the guy's attention.

"Yeah," he said. "They're undefeated and at first it was cool, but then they started getting really annoying about it. Now, it's all they ever talk about it." Sarah looked back the couple who was going around the remaining crowd. Then, she spotted Sarah.

"You there! Blondie!" she called out, pointing at her. Sarah was taken aback slightly. "I haven't seen you around here before. You think you got what it takes?" Sarah furrowed a brow at the challenge.

"Excuse me?"

"Am I not speaking English?" the brunette taunted. "You gonna play or what?" Sarah felt Chuck's hand on the small of her back. She felt the tension in her shoulders, one that she didn't even realize she had, release and just like when she was facing down Hugo Panzer, she felt confident. She looked at Chuck. He gave her a wink that told her that whatever she did, he would be right there with her.

"Yeah, sure," she said, her eyes not leaving her boyfriend's. "Let's play."

Sarah shed her cover up, leaving her in a dark teal bikini and Chuck removed his shirt so that he only wore his board shorts. They huddled up quickly to come up with a game plan. It was the first time they've played volleyball in years and the first time they've ever played with each other. "So what's the plan?" Chuck asked.

Sarah bit her lip. "As the challengers, we get first serve. I'd rather you be up by the net because of your height so I'll serve first." Chuck nodded as Sarah laid out their plan of action.

"Alright. Sounds good," he said. The volleyball bounced over to them and Sarah picked it up. Chuck took her head in his hands and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Let's kick some ass," he said. A beat. "Or at least… let's try." Sarah chuckled before walking back behind the boundary tape.

She stretched her arm and prayed that she would get a good serve. It'd been so long. Taking a deep breath, Sarah tossed the ball and hit it. She ran forward back into the court and bit her lip as the ball flew into the top of the net and by some miracle, fell on the other side of the court. That was a point! She scored a point! The brunette cursed and called for her partner to move forward for the short serves. The ball was tossed back over to Sarah and she went back over to her spot behind the boundary line.

She got lucky on her last serve. It would take more than just luck to win this game. Taking a deep breath, Sarah served and thankfully, it sailed clear over the net and toward the brunette who was covering the backcourt. She received the served with a perfect pass to her partner, who bump-set it toward back over so the brunette could kill it. Sarah got in a defensive position, her eyes trained on the ball. The brunette practically flew to meet the ball but then she disappeared and all Sarah could see was Chuck's tall frame in between the two women, his arms up and fingers outstretched. The brunette, not expecting the man, spiked straight causing the ball to bounce off of Chuck's arms, which were clear over the net, and ricochet right into the sand. Another point for Chuck and Sarah. Amazed at what had just happened, Chuck and Sarah celebrated with a hug. They were up 2-0.

Unfortunately, Sarah's next serve fell short into the net, bringing the score to 2-1. The other team rotated so that the guy was serving. He served it right to Sarah, who received it. It flew a little too far for Chuck to set up so instead of going for a set, he tipped it right over into an open spot on the sand. Sarah blinked. ' _Open up Chuck to the idea of sports,' my ass,_ she thought. He was practically carrying their team. 3-1.

The game continued on, Sarah and Chuck actually doing pretty well for not having played together before. They found their rhythm really quick as soon as the rallies got more and more intense. By the end of it, they lost the first set. 18-21. It was a tough effort but Sarah knew that beating the brunette's team wouldn't be easy.

Chuck was incredible. He'd gotten plenty of blocks and kills to score them points and slowly, Sarah warmed up to where she'd killed a couple of balls, too. But, Sarah could tell that he was right; the main reason that he was able to get so many of those hits was his sheer height. At 6'4, Chuck towered over everyone on the court and his hands easily cleared the net when lifted over his head. All Chuck needed to get a good soft block was a hop. Stronger blocks required only slightly more effort. The second set was more fast-paced than the first. With Chuck and Sarah in sync, they figured out how to communicate what they wanted with each other. It was a close game, but Sarah and Chuck managed to snag the second set 21-19.

As the two couples geared up for the third and final set, Sarah found herself deep in thought. The third set was the tiebreaker set. The first team to fifteen won – by two, of course. In both of the previous sets, the brunette and her partner made it to fifteen before Sarah and Chuck. Sarah approached Chuck as he prepared to serve. "Alright, Chuck," she said. "This is it. First to fifteen." He nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Sarah, I know how much you hate to lose," he said. "So, I'm going to give it everything I've got." Sarah smiled at him.

"I love you." They shared a kiss and another smile before Sarah found her starting position near the net.

The third set went by as quickly as the second and soon, Chuck and Sarah found themselves in a tie at 13-13 with the other team. It was the opponents' serve and they barely managed an ace, the ball landing just on the outside edge of the boundary line. Sarah cursed under her breath. It was match point. 13-14. Luckily for them, the brunette's overconfidence messed her up and she served the ball into the net. 14-14. Chuck and Sarah just needed two more points to call it a match and it was her serve. She plucked the ball out of the air as it flew toward her and got into position behind the boundary line. She lined up her sight to the hole in their position and fired. The ball sailed over the net and into the sand, just out of reach of the brunette. 15-14.

"Woo! Way to go, Honey!" Sarah heard Chuck cheer. "Just like that!" Sarah shot him a wink and got back in her service position. She lined up her sight again and served.

Like before, the ball flew toward the open spot in the sand. However, the brunette was ready for it this time around and managed to receive it. The ball flew high in a perfect setup and the brunette's partner went in for the kill. Chuck was a second off in his block and the ball ricocheted off of his open palm and way out of bounds. There was no way that Sarah could have possibly recovered it. 15-15. Back to a deuce.

The rallies carried on and the scores climbed slowly. One rally, Chuck and Sarah would have the advantage and then the next the opponents would have it. The back and forth was tiring on both teams and entirely captivating to their audience. Finally, the score made its way up to 19-20, the opposing team with the advantage; it was also their serve. "Service!" They'd figured out early on that Sarah's speed and agility was more effective in receiving and Chuck's height gave him the advantage at the net.

As the ball flew over the net, Sarah got into her receiving position. Chuck, in turn, ran forward to cover the net. The receive was solid and the ball went straight to Chuck a quick set and spike brought the ball back to the opposing team. The brunette managed to pop the ball up to her partner. As she went up for the spike, Chuck met her stride for stride and jumped for a block. Everything seemed to go in slow motion at that point and Sarah could see the subtle shift in the brunette's posture. She was going to go for a tip rather than a spike. Sarah, on the other hand, was all the way in the back ready for the dig. She sprinted just as the brunette slowed her hand and tapped the bottom of the ball, getting it to fly just inches over Chuck's finger tips. The ball fell just behind the tall man's body and into the sand, Sarah reaching the spot it landed in just a second too late Everyone was frozen for a whole five seconds before the crowd started groaning and sighing. Chuck and Sarah stood shocked. They were so close. Sarah dusted off the sand that caked her stomach and arms. Chuck pulled Sarah into his arms and pressed kisses to her face and neck, despite the sweat and sand that caked her skin. Sarah mood lifted and she laughed and pressed one more kiss to her boyfriend's lips before pulling away slightly.

"I'm sorry we lost," he said. The blonde shook her head with a soft smile.

"Chuck, it's fine. By the way, you were incredible."

"Umm… Not as good as you," he countered.

"Oh please, I wouldn't have been able to receive half of those balls if it weren't for your blocks."

"It was a team effort." Chuck shrugged.

"And we do make a pretty good team."

Chuck smiled widely. "That we do."

"And, you know… Even though we lost, we had fun playing together. That's what matters."

"Yeah we did." Chuck held her face in his hands and gave her another kiss before walking them back to where Sarah's cover up and Chuck's shirt lay. A couple of people came up to them, complimenting them on their skills. On the other half of the court, the brunette was boasting about their latest win. Her partner however, walked up to Chuck and Sarah.

"Hey, you guys did really well. You almost had us," he said.

"Thanks, man," Chuck smiled. Another 'woop!' from the brunette briefly put the trio's attention back on her.

"I'm sorry about her," the guy said. "I don't know what's gotten into her."

Chuck shrugged. "No hard feelings." Sarah wanted to roll her eyes and say otherwise, but she figured it would be most prudent to let Chuck handle all the talking. "Well, we're gonna get going." The two men nodded in goodbye and Chuck and Sarah started their walk back to their rental house.

"So the guy isn't bigheaded and annoying," Sarah noted. Chuck chuckled.

"No, I guess not."

"That was a really fun game, but you know what'll be even more fun?" Sarah questioned with a sly smile. Chuck raised an eyebrow, curious as to where she was going with her statement. "The shower once we get back." Chuck stopped walking, frozen to his spot in the sand. He gulped. The look on his face was an amusing mixture of embarrassment, lust, love, and about a million other emotions. Sarah did her best to contain her smile but failed. Then, like a computer getting rebooted, Chuck sprung to action, lifting Sarah up bridal style, carrying her all the way back to the house, the blonde laughing and squealing the whole time.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Chuck woke up the next morning with the scent of grapefruit bombarding his olfactory senses. He hummed in content and snuggled closer into the source of smell. When his lips came into contact with the skin of Sarah's neck, he smiled and placed a soft, sleepy kiss on the spot, his arm tightening more around her body. He felt her chest, which was under his shoulder, bounce lightly as she chuckled, her hand, which rested on his back massaged the muscles around his shoulder blade.

"Good morning," she said, her voice still muddled with sleep.

"Mmmm. A good morning indeed," he hummed. He continued to press kisses to her neck, his morning stubble tickling her slightly. Sarah giggled at the feeling.

"Chuck, stop," she whined half-heartedly. "You need to shave."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, pulling up just enough for Sarah to catch a glimpse of the mischievous glint in his eyes before he dove back in rubbing his morning stubble all over the soft skin of her neck.

"Chuck!" She squealed and pushed at his face, breaking down into laughter along with her boyfriend. The tall man had managed to move from half on top of his girlfriend to fully on top of her, his arms on either side of her, holding him up.

He gave her a full Bartowski smile before leaning down and placing a loving kiss on her lips. "God, I love you," he said when he finally pulled away.

"Mmm… And I love you…" Sarah hummed in contentment. "But, as much as I want to see where this particular position leads us, I'd really like to head out and maybe hit a couple of waves today." Chuck groaned as he flopped onto the bed beside his very naked girlfriend.

"You're gonna kill me, aren't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Sarah asked, torn between being amused and annoyed.

"Between yesterday's volleyball game and… the activities afterward… I'm so sore I can barely move, let alone surf," he complained. Sarah sat up, not bothering to keep her bare chest covered.

"Are you _complaining_ about what we did yesterday?" she asked. Chuck's eyes went wide as he realized his implication.

"What? No! No. Not at all. Nope. No complaining here." Sarah narrowed her eyes at him. "You know what? Surfing sounds _great_. We should go. Right now." Chuck hopped off the bed, ignoring his muscles' protests and got dressed in a pair of board shorts and a T-shirt.

"Eager to get _out_ of bed now are we?" she said. Chuck froze at the door to the en suite bathroom. He spun around, his eyes narrowed and he walked back over toward his blonde girlfriend.

"You're trying to trap me," he accused, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Sarah raised a brow.

"I am not," she denied, trying hard to keep the smile of her face.

Chuck nodded slowly, "Yeah, you are." He reached the bed, towering over Sarah's form.

"And if I am? What are you gonna do about it?" she challenged, getting up to a kneeling position to meet the nerd eye-to-eye.

"Oh, I'll show you what I'm gonna do about it." He grabbed her and allowed them to fall back onto the bed.

Eventually, Chuck and Sarah managed to get up and ready for the day. They chose to walk the short distance to the surf shop to rent out some boards and buy some body suits. "So, you surf, too?" Chuck asked as they browsed the selection of surfboards available for rent. Sarah hummed in affirmative, running her hand over a red and white board. "Is there anything you can't do?" he joked.

"There are plenty of things that I can't do," she said pulling the board off the wall.

"Yeah right," he muttered.

"Have you picked a board yet?" she asked, choosing to ignore him.

"Uhhh… Now would probably be a good time to tell you that I don't surf…"

Sarah turned to look at her boyfriend, who had sheepish smile on his face. "What?"

He shrugged. "Awesome tried to teach me once," he admitted. "It didn't go very well."

Sarah chuckled. "I think I can do better than Awesome," she said. "I mean, I did teach you how to cook." Sarah smirked in confidence at her ability.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

"I can't teach you how to surf," Sarah gasped once she broke the surface of the water. Chuck pushed his hair out of his eyes and clung to his rental surfboard just a few feet away.

"I told you!" The two had just collided while riding in on a wave. Well, more like Chuck collided with Sarah. She'd shown him the basics on the sand and taught him how to pop up and balance. When they got to the water, Sarah realized that Chuck was too uncoordinated to stay standing on the waxy board.

Chuck was a land animal. She knew that now.

Sighing, she pulled herself up on the board. Chuck tried to do the same but his board teetered and he flipped over the other side. Sarah suppressed a smile. When Chuck resurfaced again, he shot her a withering look. "It's hopeless."

"Well… Looks like I can't do it," she said. Chuck did not miss the significance of her statement.

"Okay, fine. One thing," he conceded. Sarah gave a victorious smirk. "I'm going back. You wanna stay a little longer?" Sarah nodded. She wanted to catch a few more waves before heading in. "Alright. I'll see you in a bit."

Without bothering to try and climb up on his board, Chuck maneuvered back to shore where he carried the board up toward the house. Sarah turned her attention back to the waves and managed to catch a few good ones before the sun started to set.

Tired from a long day in the ocean, Sarah rested her board against the porch railing, next to the one Chuck had rented. She stripped off the top of her wet suit, leaving it on from the waist down, her bikini top the only thing still covering her torso. Chuck was in the kitchen cooking… pasta. Sarah leaned against the counter. "I'm pretty sure pasta isn't the only thing I've taught you how to make," she said. Chuck spun around, a surprised look on his face.

"You're back!"

"And you always concentrate so hard that you don't hear me come in, even though I make a shit-ton of noise." Sarah pushed off of the counter and walked over to him. She placed a soft kiss on his lips. "I'm gonna go shower," she told him when they separated. "Try not to burn anything?" Chuck gasped scandalously,

"I haven't burned anything since–"

"Last week?" she replied smugly.

"You will never let me live that down."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied. "You're the one that brought it up." Chuck blinked as he thought about it. He frowned. Sarah laughed pecking his lips once more. "I'll be back." She stepped out of his embrace and left the room to take her much-needed shower.

Chuck watched as Sarah disappeared into the bedroom and reached into his pocket, fingering the small box that sat there. He would ask her tonight. It was going to happen. Hopefully she'd say yes.

He finished preparing their dinner and set the table for two, lighting a candle and setting some mood music. By the time everything was set, Sarah emerged from the bedroom, dressed in shorts and a nice blouse. "Smells great!" she commented as they took their seats and ate their meal. "Tastes great, too. You're getting much better." Chuck gave her a proud smile, which she returned.

As they cleared the table of their empty plates and moved to the couch to watch a movie, Chuck started to feel a little nervous. He started to doubt himself. What if she said no? What would happen? What if she wasn't ready? If _they_ weren't ready? Then, he got a good look at his blonde girlfriend, who'd just sat on the couch with a large bowl of popcorn in her lap, a glass of red wine on the small table beside her. He knew in that moment that he was ready to take the next step. With a renewed confidence, Chuck popped his beer bottle open and joined her on the couch, ready to enjoy a movie with his girlfriend.

Two hours later, Chuck's head had replaced the bowl in Sarah's lap as he laid across the couch and Sarah's legs rested on the coffee table. One of her hands played with his on his chest, while the other combed through his curls. "I love doing this with you," she said suddenly. "Just enjoying a night in, watching movies, relaxing." Chuck blinked. It was the perfect opening for him to make his move. Attempting to keep it from looking like he was freaking out, he kept a calm look on his face as he looked up at her, his brown eyes meeting her blue ones.

"We can do this," he said. "Every night. We can do this if you want." Sarah looked down at him, her brow furrowing in confusion. He sat up, his hand dipping into his pocket to pull out the palm-sized box. At the wide-eyed look on Sarah's face, he placed a hand on her cheek to calm her. "Don't freak out." He opened the box to reveal a key. Sarah blinked.

"Chuck… What is–"

"I want you to move in with me," he interrupted her. Sarah hit him. "Ow! Hey! What was that for?!"

"That was for making me think you were going to propose!"

"What? Propose? We've only been dating for like five months. It's way to early for that."

"And I agree," Sarah conceded. "You don't need all the theatrics, Chuck. I'm a simple girl. I would have been fine if you just asked me."

"Duly noted," Chuck nodded. "So… Is that a 'yes?'" Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Yes I'll move in with you, you goof!" She kissed him before a realization hit her. "Wait, what about Ellie and Devon? It's technically their apartment…"

"It won't be right away. I already talked to Ellie; her and Devon are planning on getting the bigger apartment across the courtyard. Something about wanting the extra room for when 'little Awesomes' started running around," Chuck explained. "So we get the apartment all to ourselves. And, if you move in, then Zondra can stay in your apartment."

"You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Bartowski. One that I absolutely cannot refuse."

* * *

And there you have it, folks! Another installment of Chuck Versus the Kitchen. Just wanted to let you guys know... Maybe start to expect slower updates? I've kinda hit a road block with writing and my buffer is dwindling and I'd like to keep at least a couple of chapters between my recently posted and my currently writing. So... Yeah. ANYWAYS...

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Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	19. Chuck Versus the Move

I'm alive! I promise! Sorry for the unexpected wait. I actually had to take a break from writing a bit because I had to study for the MCAT and start all of my med school applications. But, I'm here now and I've got an update! Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Chuck. Despite how much I wish I do every day.

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the Move**

"Hey Ellie," Sarah greeted a little apprehensively. The older woman was running across the courtyard with a pillow under her arms and a lamp in her hand. "Where's the fire?"

"Sarah! Hey!" Ellie stopped abruptly to speak with the blonde. "No fire. Devon and I are moving into our new apartment today."

"Paperwork finally went through?"

"Yup! It's ours! Which means _that_ is yours," Ellie said, jerking her head toward the front door of the apartment she just came out of. "Good luck." With that, Ellie was in motion again, disappearing into a unit on the other side of the courtyard, leaving Sarah alone.

The magnitude of Ellie's statement hit Sarah like a train; she would officially be moving in with Chuck in just a few short days.

It had taken nearly a month for the old owners to move out of Ellie and Devon's new apartment and for the paperwork to get finalized so that Ellie and Devon's names were on the new Casa Bartowski/Woodcomb unit and Sarah and Chuck's names were on the now Casa Bartowski/Walker unit. At the same time, Sarah was transferring her apartment to Zondra so she was dealing with her own batch of paperwork at Maison23. Throughout it all, Sarah had been spending the night with Chuck almost every night, her closet slowly being moved into his with every passing day. She and he had also been looking at furniture online since Ellie and Devon owned the furniture in the apartment and were taking it with them when they moved.

Now, everything that was conceptual was becoming a reality. She was moving in with Chuck. They were going to _live together_. It seemed surreal. Yet, as she walked into what was going to be her new home, she knew that her being in that apartment was the most natural feeling in the world to her. Well, maybe that had more to do with the nerd she associated with the apartment than the actual apartment itself.

"Hey! Sarah!" Devon boomed as he emerged from the hallway with a box in his arms. "Chuck left earlier this morning for the office." Sarah smiled.

"I know," she said. "I'm just here to pick up my spare chef's jacket. Chuck said he threw it in the wash."

"Ahh. I see. By the way, we missed you last night at dinner," he told her.

"Yeah… I wish I could be there but there was a critic at the restaurant and I wanted to be there personally," she explained, unsure if Chuck had told Devon and Ellie her reason for not being able to make it. She hadn't even spent the night at the apartment, deciding to go back to her own apartment with Zondra.

"That's totally understandable," he said. "I'm sure that critic had the dinner of his life." Sarah chuckled.

"Well, I'm gonna grab my jacket and get out of your way," she said.

"Sounds good." Sarah shot Devon one last smile before moving past him into Chuck's room where her jacket hung on the closet door, all of the various food stains having vanished with the spin cycle. Clipped to the collar was a note.

 _I fully expect this to be covered in food stains again by the time you come home tonight. – Chuck_

Sarah snorted, rolling her eyes fondly, and pulled the garment off of the hanger, folding it over her arm. She gave one last wave to Ellie and Devon and left for the restaurant.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Chuck came home around eight o'clock that night, exhausted from the day he'd had at the office. With his game nearing completion and eventual release, he's had to deal with mountains of paperwork for patents and trademarks as well as distribution contracts. It was mentally taxing to have to go through all those legal documents with Morgan and his lawyer.

As he opened the door to his apartment, his eyes drooping shut, he acted by habit, turning on the main light and dropping his keys into the ceramic bowl by the door. Only, there was no familiar sound of clinking metal on clay. Instead, there was the sound of clinking metal hitting the floor. Chuck opened his eyes at the sound and frowned. That was weird. The table and bowl were not in its usual place. Chuck bent down to pick up the fallen object and when he stood, he got a good look at the apartment. His eyes widened in surprise. Most of the furniture was gone. All that was left was the dining room table, Chuck's game chair, some bookshelves, and various boxes, no doubt filled with his consoles and vast collection of games and movies.

 _What the hell? Where did all the furniture go?_ He wondered to himself in a mild panic.

Chuck considered calling Sarah for a second before remembering that she was working in the kitchen that night and therefore wouldn't be available to reach on the phone. So, instead, he called his sister.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sis," he said. "Just wanted you to know… I think someone stole all our furniture."

Like he kind of expected, Ellie simply laughed. He waited for her to calm down and call him out on a terrible prank, but then she said something that took him by surprise. "I'm sorry. I forgot to call you! The paperwork went through this morning after you left so Devon and I took the day to move everything into the new apartment."

"And you left Sarah and I furniture-less," he finished crassly.

"Not totally. Sarah dropped by this morning while we were moving furniture. She knows," Ellie said. "She didn't tell you?"

Chuck cleared his throat. "No, she did not."

"Oh," Ellie replied awkwardly. "Well, since you don't have a living room quite yet, do you want to hang out here?"

Chuck narrowed his eyes, but he knew Ellie wouldn't be able to see the gesture from over the phone. "You want me to wire your TV and speakers, don't you?" he accused.

"Devon may be a talented cardiothoracic surgeon, but an electrician, he is not."

"Not one bit!" he heard the Captain yell in the background. Chuck rolled his eyes.

"Let me get my kit and I'll be right over."

Thirty minutes later, the large flat screen television that hung over the fireplace displayed audio and visual of a random sci-fi movie that was playing. "You are a genius, little brother," Ellie said, hugging said little brother.

"I know." A proud smirk very much present on his lips.

Chuck packed up his kit and accepted the cup of coffee that Devon made him. He took a seat with Ellie at the dining table, as it was the only free place to sit in the whole apartment. "How's the game coming along?" she asked, taking a sip of her tea.

"It's coming along great. We're getting great reviews on the beta release in terms of gameplay and graphics so we're just making some final adjustments and corrections to the coding and getting the paperwork for all the legal started for its official release."

"That's incredible," Ellie said in awe. "My brother, living his childhood dream of making video games. And, how are things at _Il Castello_?"

"They're fantastic. The restaurant still gets fully booked every night and the reviews are still phenomenal. I don't really do much serving over there now that I have _Orion Tech_ but I still come in to do IT stuff."

"Does Sarah still pay you?" Chuck shook his head.

"Nah. I mean… it's kind of redundant for her to pay me and then have me use the money to pay for _our_ things," he shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal. I'm about to make bank with this video game anyway _and_ I'm already in the process of writing another one."

"Chuck, I'm so proud of how far you've come," Ellie said. It looked like tears were threatening to spill from her eyes. "And I'm not just saying that because I'm your sister… Well maybe a little, but I'm so serious. You've really grown and I love the man that you've grown into."

Chuck gave her a warm smile. "Thanks, Sis. I love you, too. And, to be honest… The man I am today is largely in part because of you." They hugged briefly. When they pulled away, Chuck checked his watch. "So… Sarah doesn't get back for another… four hours or so…" Chuck said, changing the topic, "and since I've literally got nothing to do in my apartment, do you need help with anything else?"

"Yes!" Ellie replied with a renewed enthusiasm. "The books in those boxes need to go on that bookshelf. Please try to keep them organized." Chuck rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Ma'am." He got to work ordering the plethora of textbooks, studies, articles, reviews, and various other books that the two surgeons owned on the shelf while Ellie went back to work on organizing the kitchen. Devon, on the other hand, took it upon himself to set up his exercise equipment in the small study behind the stairs.

The three worked in silence, the only source of noise being the movie, which continued to play in the background and the sound of objects being moved around and placed into cupboards and shelves.

It was past midnight when they decided to call it a night and rest. Ellie and Devon offered to hang out with Chuck until Sarah got back but knowing that the Awesomes were on-call the next day, he declined the offer and went back into his apartment. It was really weird to have the main room of the apartment be bare while his room was still fully furnished. The contrast was so stark, it very nearly gave him whiplash. Making himself a note to get furniture, he gathered his towel and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Sarah was exhausted as she arrived back at the Echo Park apartment complex. Once she parked, she went straight for Chuck's – and now officially her – apartment. Knowing that Ellie and Devon were moving their things out, the sight of the bare apartment only took her slightly by surprise – it was still a little jarring, though. She carried her things to her shared bedroom with Chuck and was somewhat disappointed that Chuck was fast asleep. She quickly went through her nighttime routine and climbed into her side of the bed. As though he sensed her presence, Chuck shifted in his sleep so that his body faced hers, but he remained asleep. She smiled softly as she took in the features of his face. She placed a kiss on his forehead and settled into her pillow, allowing sleep to overtake her.

The next morning, Sarah woke up in Chuck's arms. "Good morning," the man holding her mumbled sleepily.

She smiled and lifted her head to look up into her boyfriend's eyes. "Good morning to you," she said. "Sorry I missed you yesterday."

"No biggie," he replied. "You were busy, I was busy. It'll happen."

"I know… But I still want to make it up to you." She gave him a sly smile before leaning forward to kiss him.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

"We need to furniture. Now."

"Agreed."

Chuck and Sarah took sips of tea from their mugs as Ellie and Devon had taken their coffee maker with them. "On the bright side, we're starting fresh. The apartment is totally and completely ours," Chuck pointed out. The couple shared a smile before taking another synchronized sip from their mugs.

"And, we've already started looking at some furniture and I have a few ideas," Sarah added.

"That's great! We can drop by a couple of furniture stores today, look around, maybe buy some stuff. Let's make a day out of it." Then, he suddenly frowned. "We really need to set more time aside for each other," he said. "I don't like that we barely see each other."

"I don't either," Sarah agreed.

"And I take the blame for that," Chuck continued on, now ranting. "Things have been busy at the office lately with the game and all the paperwork and everything… And I know it's no excuse because I have employees to do stuff like that for me but this is kind of my baby and I really want to make sure that everything is perfect and…" he stalled lightly. "And… I'm totally spiraling aren't I? I am. Of course I am. I always am. Spiraling that is." He clamped his mouth shut with a click of his teeth as they collided. Sarah simply looked on amused, waiting for him to calm down.

"Are you done?" she asked. He opened his mouth to speak, but paused as though he were afraid he would start spiraling. He closed his mouth and nodded his head instead. "Good." Sarah took his mug of tea away from him and set both hers and his mugs down on the counter before placing comforting hands on Chuck's neck, her thumbs caressing his cheeks. "It's not your fault. I don't blame you for anything. When I was starting up _Il Castello_ , the only people I ever spoke with were the contractor, the architect, and the engineers, and various other contacts that were necessary to get up and running. I know what it's like to start a business. Trust me. Once your game is released, I'm sure things will start to calm down." Chuck smiled and leaned forward placing a peck on Sarah's nose.

"You're amazing, you know that?" he asked rhetorically. "Like. What did I ever do to deserve a woman like you?"

"I think you showed me that this morning…" Sarah smirked. She leaned up to kiss him and turned away to get dressed. "Get ready," she called out as she made her way to their bedroom. "We leave for Ikea in twenty minutes."

Sure enough, they were in the car twenty minutes later, Chuck in the driver's seat, on the way to the nearest Ikea. They'd decided to use Chuck's car as it was bigger and could hold boxes of things that they might buy.

"So… I'm not expected to _build_ anything that we buy at Ikea, right?" Chuck asked. Sarah laughed.

"I think you're expected to build pretty much every piece of furniture at Ikea," Sarah replied with a raised brow.

"But am _I_ specifically expected to build all of these things?" he elaborated.

"You're telling me you can take apart and put back together a computer hard drive, but you can't follow instructions to build a TV stand?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you," he said. "I mean… half the time the instructions aren't even in English."

"What if I read them to you?"

"You can read foreign languages?"

"You know I speak Italian," she said. Chuck nodded in confirmation. "But, I also know Spanish, French, Swedish, Polish, Russian, Thai–"

" _Thai_?" Chuck looked at her disbelievingly. "You speak _Thai_?"

"Not fluently," she replied with a chuckle. "But enough to hold a conversation."

"But that fact that you know… _seven_ other languages... Why did you never tell me this?"

"It never came up," she shrugged.

"And _how_ exactly did you learn all those languages?"

"My family's roots are Polish. My grandma always spoke to me in Polish. Russian and Swedish are pretty similar to that. I spent some time in France in college to study French cuisine. Spain, too."

"What about _Thai_?" Chuck asked, stressing the word to emphasize the absolute randomness of the language.

"I took a vacation to Thailand with Zondra, Carina, and Amy once."

"Are there any _other_ languages you know?"

Sarah shrugged. "Not that I can think of right now." At Chuck's incredulous look, Sarah laughed. "Languages just come very easy to me for some reason. If I wasn't a chef, I'd probably be a translator or something in the government."

"Yeah. A _spy_ ," Chuck muttered, apparently loud enough for Sarah to hear as well.

"A _spy?_ Really?" Sarah looked at him from the corner of her eye. He blushed slightly at having been caught, though Sarah tone was more fond than anything so he felt no issue with committing this particular topic of conversation

"Yeah, a spy. I mean… Come on! You speak a million languages–"

"Eight," she corrected, but Chuck ignored her continuing on as though she hadn't said anything.

"–you're skilled with knives–"

"I'll give you that."

"–And your school's initials are C. I. A," he finished. "You literally _could_ be some CIA assassin."

"You've really thought about this, huh?" She crossed her arms over her chest in amusement.

"You _haven't_?" Chuck sounded genuinely offended at that. "Special Agent Sarah Walker of the CIA. Rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it?"

Sarah considered it for a second. "I guess," she acquiesced. "But really, think about it. A CIA assassin, choosing to settle down in _Burbank_ rather than continuing a life of excitement, adventure, danger…"

"Yeah… You're right. Doesn't seem plausible." Chuck pulled up to the large warehouse-looking building that had 'IKEA' spelled out in giant yellow letters and managed to find a good parking spot near the entrance. "Alright. Let's try to be in and out of here as quick as possible. This place is a friggin' trap."

They'd agreed on an hour, tops.

They spent four hours in Ikea.

"Chuck, do we _really_ need a separate bookshelf for DVDs _and_ video games?" Sarah asked. "Can't we just put them on one of the empty bookshelves in the hallway?"

"Sarah, I've been trying to tell you. DVDs need to be near the DVD player and video games need to be near the consoles."

"But what is a four-foot distance? It's literally in the same room."

"It's still too far!" Chuck asserted. Sarah groaned.

"Okay, so what if we got those red cabinets and we used that instead?" Sarah said pointing toward two matching cabinets in the next display. "And, I've got a couch set in mind that comes in red, I think." Chuck seemed to debate that in his head.

"Sold."

Sarah sighed in relief. _Finally_. Walking though the furniture warehouse, she'd found that her and Chuck had _very_ different tastes when it came to interior décor. She wanted simple and chic and he wanted literally everything nerd. While she'd been picking out lamps and side tables, he'd been looking up gamer chairs and foosball tables on his phone. She totally blamed him for the four-plus hour trip to Ikea. "So we've got the TV stand, the side tables, and the cabinets," Sarah said. "I think that's enough for our Ikea trip for now."

"What about kitchen stuff?"

"Leave the kitchen stuff to me," Sarah said, not wanting to have to sit through a debate about what kind of spoons they should get. "I just want to get out of this place."

"Deal, but I'm in charge of the electronics," he negotiated. They shook hands in agreement. "Where do you want to head next?"

"I've got my eye on a couch and chairs already. I want to check it out," Sarah told him.

"Sounds good."

They headed out of Ikea after making their purchases. Then, after a tricky game of car Tetris, they managed to fit in the boxes of the things they'd bought in the trunk and backseat of Chuck's car. Admiring their work, Chuck smiled proudly. "I didn't think it'd all fit," he said. "Granted, the cabinets are sticking out of the window, but it works!" Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Let's just hope we don't lose anything on the 101."

At least they could agree on the couch set and the coffee table that Sarah had picked out. The long couch was long enough to accommodate Chuck's tall frame and the set _did_ come in the same color as the cabinets they'd bought.

They made their way home, their brand new couches to be delivered later that day. Thankfully, Ellie and Devon left them the dining table since it didn't fit in their new apartment and had to buy a new one. In the open space, Chuck and Sarah began to assemble the pieces of furniture they'd bought.

There was apparently a lot you could learn about a person when you put together furniture from Ikea using instructions that neither of you could read. Apparently, Sarah couldn't _read_ Swedish; her knowledge of the language was limited to verbal communication.

Their relationship was tested on a whole new level. They'd disagreed more in the hour and a half it took them to build the TV stand than they'd done in maybe their entire relationship thus far. "I'm telling you, Sarah," Chuck argued. "This piece goes to that one. Look, it looks like the picture." He held up the instruction sheet and the square-like plank of wood in his hand.

"No, that piece looks like the one that's here in my hand," Sarah protested holding up her own square-like wooden plank. Chuck groaned.

"This is crazy. We literally have four more pieces and we can't figure out where they all go," Chuck said.

"We'd be done if you'd just listened to me and connect this piece to that one." Chuck groaned. He took the outstretched piece of wood and lined it up. Of course, it fit perfectly and it was easy to screw in. Sarah opened her mouth but Chuck held up a finger.

" _Don't_." They quickly finished the rest of the stand and positioned it against the wall. Sarah stood up straight, dusting her hands against her jeans.

"Think you can handle the cabinets?" she asked. "I'm gonna get started on dinner."

"I can handle the cabinets." And, maybe he said that a little more harshly than he intended. But Sarah chose to not call him out on it.

By the time Sarah had their dinner ready, Chuck had assembled one of the cabinets and was halfway through the second one. It helped that the instructions were actually in English. They sat together at the table. It was their first night, officially, together in their new apartment.

And… there was a slight tension because of their earlier trip to Ikea and later their disaster that was trying to put together the TV stand.

So… dinner was silent, for the most part. It was also somewhat awkward. "I'll… uh, I'll drop by the Buy More tomorrow and pick out the TV and other electronics," Chuck informed Sarah.

"And I'll make some calls about kitchen stuff tomorrow morning," Sarah said. And that was essentially the depth of their conversation.

When they finished eating, Sarah offered to clean up while Chuck finished up the last cabinet.

They set to work and when Sarah finished her task first, she decided to go ahead and get ready for bed. Chuck followed shortly after and the two climbed into bed, Chuck with the sheets pulled all the way up to his chin. Sarah, slightly uncomfortable laying on her back and at the tension between her and Chuck, turned on her side to face away from her boyfriend.

"Are we fighting?" Chuck asked suddenly. At his question, Sarah slowly turned to face him, curiosity in her features.

"What?"

"I mean… I can't be the only who feels the tension, right? It's kinda been there just hanging out in the background since Ikea and it's gotten more potent during the TV stand and at dinner, we literally only talked about furniture," he explained. "So… I need to know, are we fighting? Because the first fight is a really big milestone in a relationship, you know? And I don't want our first fight to be over a TV stand. Because that's kinda stupid, don't you think? And I really don't want to fight with you, period." After Chuck's mini-rant was over, Sarah shifted so that her elbow propped her up and she was looking down at him.

"I don't want to fight, either," she told him. "And we're not fighting. I think that this is just the first time we've ever really disagreed about things and it's new territory for us. But, what's important is that we're talking about it, which is good. Communication is good."

"I agree." Chuck slowly came out from under the covers, much like a turtle came out of its shell when it felt comfortable enough. Sarah scooted closer to him and the two ended in a cuddled position, Sarah's head on Chuck's chest. He kissed the top of her head. "I love you," he muttered.

"I love you, too."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

The apartment wasn't fully furnished once more until the end of the week. The couple slowly, gradually, moved in the rest of Sarah's things along with the newly bought furniture. They even managed to put in minimal furniture in the extra bedroom to turn it into a guest bedroom.

"Okay, so, Morgan is going to need at least five hours of my time every week for _Halo_ purposes," Chuck said as he massaged Sarah's feet. They were currently sitting on their newly acquired couch, watching Saturday night television on their newly acquired flat screen.

"And I need thirty minutes of complete silence before sleep," Sarah added. Chuck frowned.

"That'll be a problem considering my cuddling needs." Sarah looked thoughtful for a second.

"How about we do one night cuddle, one night silent thing?" she compromised. Chuck nodded in agreement.

"Hey! Alright, done. Next."

"I'm going to need at least eight hours of alone time in the kitchen to test and taste new recipes."

"Can I pick your playlist?"

"Sure."

"Deal." The couple shared a smile. "Hey, Morgan was right. These conversations are really useful."

"Yeah. Where did he get this idea from anyway?"

"No idea," Chuck replied honestly. "He said that when he last visited the Buy More, some author came by for a book signing and he took notes because he wants to move forward with Alex."

Sarah snorted. "What exactly does 'move forward' entail? I mean, Morgan still lives with his Mom and Alex is still in school. Not to mention, Casey would probably gut the poor guy alive."

"I'm kind of surprise the little bearded man is still among the living," Chuck laughed, too. "And, I'm not sure exactly, but if it means my little buddy is growing up, I'm all for it."

"Morgan's a good guy," Sarah said, shifting positions so that her body was leaning against Chuck's. "I think he and Alex are good for each other."

"I agree."

" _Finally_ ," Sarah joked. "After a week of nothing but disagreeing, it feels nice to actually agree for once." Chuck laughed.

"And it just so happens to be on _Morgan's love life_ of all things," he added with a chuckle.

"Hey, I'll take what I can get." She leaned up to place a quick kiss on his jaw line before turning to look back at the television.

* * *

Voila! There you have it! Another chapter down. My writer's block is slowly being lifted and I try to write in moments of inspiration but those have been far and few in between thoughts of chemistry, biology, and physics. It'll come back sometime soon. I hope. Until next time!

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	20. Chuck Versus the Wedding Singer

Hey guys! I promise I'm not dead nor am I giving up on this story. I've just had some stuff that I had to deal with for med school. I've been writing... Just for applications. :/ BUT! No worries! Because I've started writing this story once more! Updates will still come a little slow but I've kinda gotten over my writer's block so it's better than just staring at the screen with no idea what I'm doing. Anyways, on with the story!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Chuck. I wish I did, but alas. It is _not_ written.

* * *

 **Chuck Versus the Wedding Singer**

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ellie groaned as she hung up the phone. She and Sarah had spent the day making last minute adjustments and decisions for the upcoming wedding, which was only a couple days away.

"What's up?" the blonde asked, looking up from the long shopping list in front of her. The two were currently at said store, picking up some extra supplies that they needed.

"The reception hall just canceled."

"What?! Why?" Sarah felt as panicked as Ellie looked.

"They double booked the night and because the other party put in a bigger down deposit, they dropped us." Sarah frowned. That's stupid. That was the reception hall's fault, not theirs. "Sarah, I don't know what to do! The wedding is in _two days_." Sarah took a deep breath and thought everything through, going over every option she could come up with.

"Okay, the first thing we need to do is calm down," she said even though she knew that that probably wasn't what the soon-to-be bride wanted to hear. "This is why you chose me as your bridesmaid. To help problem-solve these things." She thought for a minute before the answer hit her like a ton of bricks. "The restaurant," she blurted without really thinking.

"What?"

"The restaurant. _My restaurant_. _Il Castello_ can host your wedding reception," Sarah said, a smile growing on her face.

"What?" Ellie had a far-off, dazed look as though she couldn't believe what was happening.

"Yeah! It's perfect!" Sarah said, buying the idea more and more as she thought about it. "Your wedding is on a Sunday so the restaurant will be closed anyway. I can ask the wait staff to come in and work. I'd have to pay them of course, but that's not an issue. We can clear the middle of the house to put down a dance floor and your band can set up on the stage. It'll work." Ellie looked at Sarah with wide eyes.

"Are you sure? What about the food? The hall was also supposed to cater."

"I'm absolutely sure," Sarah confirmed. "And don't worry about food. I've got that covered, too. Send me a list of what the reception hall was going to cater and I'll talk to my kitchen staff." Luckily, Sarah's staff was trained in all kinds of cuisine so no matter what the kind of food they were supposed to offer to the guests, her staff could deliver. And, they'd probably deliver way better than the reception hall. Sarah was immediately pulled into a bear hug by the older Bartowski sibling.

"You are the _absolute best_. Thank you _so much_." Ellie looked about ready to burst into tears by Sarah's offer. The entire reception was on the verge to being a complete disaster but Sarah had literally averted the crisis in less than five minutes.

"It's no problem, really. And, this way, you save more money."

"What? No, I can pay you. They offered a full refund of our down payment, thankfully," Ellie insisted. Sarah shook her head adamantly.

"No, Ellie. I've got it covered. Don't worry about it."

"Sarah," the older woman said sternly as though she were admonishing a child. "I'm not arguing with you on this. I'm paying you."

Not wanting to argue either, Sarah acquiesced. "Fine… But only whatever you paid that original down payment. Nothing more," she offered as a compromise.

"That works for me."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

"The reception is being moved to _Il Castello_?" Chuck frowned in confusion from his spot on the couch. Ellie and Sarah had just gotten home from their day out. Devon and Chuck had stayed home, taking care of wedding things on the groom's end. The four of them had reconvened in Ellie and Devon's apartment since it was practically 'wedding central' over there.

"Yeah. It's perfect," Sarah said, taking a seat beside her boyfriend. Chuck's arm instinctively found its way around her shoulders. "I'm going to need your help with setting everything up, though."

"Like…?" Chuck asked hesitantly. His skills didn't exactly go beyond tinkering with programming or hard drives.

"I need you to call a rental place and get a dance floor," Sarah told Chuck getting straight to business. They had a lot of things to do with not a lot of time to do it. "We just need one that we can have assembled. While you do that, I'll call the wait staff and see if any of them are interested in working overtime."

"I can do that," Chuck smiled. Sunday morning was going to be a whirlwind, Sarah already knew.

While they did that, Ellie and Devon were on the computer, changing the address for the reception on the wedding programs. They were going to print them out the next day and it was a good thing, too, that they waited.

It wasn't long before everything was once again squared away. Sarah was able to get a good number of servers and kitchen staff to come in. Chuck found a dance floor for rent, the programs were updated, and Sarah had also started on the menu. She and Zondra wouldn't be able to be in the kitchen the whole night, but she trusted her staff; and, her and Zondra could alternate checking in on them occasionally throughout the night.

Sarah and Ellie fine-tuned the details for the reception now that it was at the restaurant. Sarah drew a quick layout of the space on a sheet of paper and the two women worked on redesigning the layout and seating chart while Chuck and Devon went out to grab them some food. "Thanks again for doing this Sarah," Ellie said as they mapped out the new seating chart.

"Like I said, it's no problem. I'm glad that _Il Castello_ could be of use," Sarah said as she wrote in guest names. "What, uh, did you tell Honey?" she asked tentatively.

Honey Woodcomb was a force to be reckoned with. Being a doctor, married to a doctor, with three doctor sons, Ellie's soon-to-be mother-in-law had all but taken control over the Bartowski-Woodcomb wedding the moment she found out her eldest son was getting married. It was both a blessing and a curse to Ellie – but mostly a curse.

She was grateful to have a mother figure help her through wedding preparations. She'd already been without a mother's guidance going through her teenaged years. So she was thankful that Honey had stepped up to help her with finding good contacts for wedding stuff, but her and Honey hardly ever agreed on _anything._ Ellie wanted Calla Lilies, Honey wanted pink roses; Ellie wanted a small beach wedding, Honey wanted the big church wedding. It was difficult to decide on anything and compromises were rare as both women were stubborn and did not want to give in even a little. After some mediation by Devon, they'd managed to agree upon a mix of the calla lilies and the pink roses and a beach wedding like Ellie wanted, but Honey got to pick the caterers and the reception hall.

Remembering her fiancé's mother, Ellie groaned and dropped her head on the table. "I haven't told her yet." Sarah grimaced, she'd met the woman twice: once when they were picking bridesmaids dresses, and another when they were at a food tasting. Already, Sarah felt bad for Ellie.

"When does she get in?" she asked.

"Tomorrow morning. I'm thinking we hold off telling her until then," Ellie suggested. Sarah nodded.

"Agreed."

"Who's up for some Bamboo Dragon?" Chuck's voice called as the front door opened. He and Devon came in with bags of food hanging from their hands. Ellie and Sarah stood immediately to clear the table of wedding plans and set the table for dinner.

Later that night, Sarah and Chuck collapsed on their bed, after they'd stripped down and dressed in their pajamas, of course. With the wedding so close, everything had been full speed ahead and the couple, Chuck being the best man and Sarah being one of the bridesmaids, was essentially the bride and groom's right hands in terms running errands – especially since Ellie's maid of honor was also a doctor and was currently working a triple in order to get Sunday off. Sarah moaned in exhaustion as she rolled over to cuddle with Chuck. He placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Chuck?" she asked, her voice slightly muffled by the fabric of his shirt.

"Yeah?"

"What were your parents like?" she asked. They never really talked about Chuck's parents even after nearly six months of dating. Sure enough, Sarah felt Chuck tense slightly at the question.

"W-Why do you ask?" There was uncertainty and a slight tremble to his voice and all Sarah wanted to do was take it away.

"Ellie and I were talking about Devon's parents and I could just tell that she wished that your mom was here helping her through this," Sarah explained.

Chuck sighed and pulled Sarah's body closer to him. "They were great, I guess," he started. "I don't really have any memories of them that are bad. Things were great, actually. That's why it was so strange when my mom went to work one day and just never came back. My dad… He took her leaving the hardest, I think. Drowned himself in his work, always locked up in his office, playing on his computers and machines. Then… when Ellie was eighteen, he told her, one day, that he was going to make pancakes for dinner to celebrate her getting into UCLA. But… when he left for the store to buy ingredients… he just didn't come back." Chuck was absentmindedly rubbing a hand up and down Sarah's back in a way that probably gave him more assurance than her.

"Chuck…" she managed, sympathy etching her tone.

"Nah, it's okay, Sarah. You don't need to apologize or anything," he insisted. "Ellie and I had to grow up at young ages, but, I mean, here we are now, right? It took us a while to get solid footing. Ellie was balancing checkbooks and bank accounts at the age of twelve. I worked two jobs in high school while Ellie worked another while in college. We sold the house and bought this apartment instead to get some cushion cash. It helped that we both had full scholarships for school so that wasn't ever an issue. It was rough, but it was manageable. And, we had each other to lean on for anything so it wasn't ever as bad as it could have been."

Sarah shifted so that she could look Chuck in the eyes. "I love you," she said. There was nothing else she could say. He didn't want an apology or pity or anything like that. Sarah knew in that moment, that all Chuck wanted, needed, was her. To be there. To support, not only him, but his sister as well. To love them. And she would do that. In anyway that she could, so long as they would have her.

Chuck didn't respond verbally. He didn't need to. The look in his eyes showed Sarah the level of love and adoration he had for her. Reciprocating the soft smile he had on his face, Sarah leant up and placed a kiss on his lips. It was slow and inviting. One that was full of promise and hope for the future. _Their_ future.

Despite their exhaustion and the fact that they had to be up early the next day to continue with wedding preparations, Chuck and Sarah found themselves getting buried in the covers, their already minimal amount of clothing getting stripped and tossed haphazardly to the floor, as they expressed the depth of their love to each other. The slow tempo added a new depth to the intimacy that they shared with one another and they continued on until they were both spent and fell asleep in each others arms.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Sarah walked into the kitchen of _Il Castello._ The kitchen staff had been there all day prepping and cooking for the wedding reception that was set to take place in less than an hour.

The wedding ceremony was a beautiful affair. They stood on the beach in the late afternoon, the sea breeze strong enough to keep the temperature cool, but not strong enough to blow the entire setup away. She could clearly see the joy in Chuck's eyes as he gave away his sister to Devon and as the couple shared the beginning of their lives together in front of their closest family and friends. Throughout the ceremony, Sarah found herself shooting glances at Chuck and on multiple occasions caught him shooting similar glances at her as well.

Right after the ceremony, there was a short photo shoot for the wedding party and the families of the bride and groom. Once Sarah and Zondra got the clear, the two left the beach to head toward the restaurant to make sure everything was set up. The band that Ellie and Devon had hired were all set up on the stage, the dance floor was placed over the carpet of the main floor. Her wait staff was finishing the place settings and the centerpieces. Her and Zondra decided to split up so that Zondra would check in with the wait staff and Sarah went into the kitchen to see how the prep was going.

"Verbanski," she called out to her sous chef. The older woman turned in attention.

"Yes, Chef."

"What's the sit-rep?"

"The bread rolls are in the oven, the appetizers are plated and in the holding cabinets, and the sea bass, steak, and chicken plates are prepped and ready," Verbanski informed her.

"Perfect." Sarah smiled. "The guests are on the way so go ahead and start cooking and plating, and place them in the holding cabinets to keep them warm. Once the guests start to arrive, tell the wait staff to grab the trays of _hors d'oeuvres_ and start serving those. Dinner begins after Devon and Ellie's first dance."

"Yes, Chef."

"Zondra and I will be in every now and then to check on things but for the most part, you and Ilsa will be in charge."

"Yes, Chef," the sous chef replied. Sarah gave a dismissive nod and Verbanski turned to get back to her station.

Sarah knew that the rest of the wedding party and the guests would be arriving shortly so she went back into the front of the house to speak to the band to tell them to go ahead and start their first set whenever they were ready.

The guests started to trickle in slowly and Sarah disappeared into the back of the house, as there would be an introduction of the wedding party before the introduction of the bride and groom. Zondra stayed out in the front of the room to keep an eye on things. The back door opened revealing Chuck, followed by the rest of the wedding party. "Hey," he greeted her with a quick peck.

"Hey, how're Ellie and Devon?"

"Oh, they're fantastic. They'll be here in a bit. The photographer wanted some last minute photos of them in front of the sunset. Very romantic."

"Alright, everyone, find your partners!" Honey's voice commanded as the short woman walked in.

"See you in a bit?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah." They kissed quickly once more before Chuck went off to find Abigail, Ellie's best friend and maid of honor. Sarah found her partner, Michael, one of Devon's two brothers. They lined up in the same order as they did during the procession for the wedding ceremony.

"ETA of the bride and groom is five minutes!" Honey announced. "All of the guests are here! Let's go!" The group filed out, following Honey Woodcomb out the back door, toward the front of the restaurant.

Sarah remembered when Ellie first told Honey about the change in venue. The woman just about blew a gasket at how unprofessional and how earth shattering the issue was. That, of course, was when Sarah stepped in and informed Devon's mother that the issue was taken care of. Honey wasn't happy, but she was satisfied with a high rated restaurant as the venue of her son's "biggest day of his life." Sarah slightly annoyed at the bare tolerance Honey had for _her restaurant_. Her _critically acclaimed restaurant._ But whether or not Honey agreed or disagreed, there was nothing she could do with only a day before the actual wedding.

As they made it to the front door, Ellie and Devon's car pulled up the driveway and parked right up against the sidewalk. The valet team ran up to open the door for the newlyweds. "It's show time!" Honey yelled, signaling to the wait staff by the door to open it up.

The procession began, with a quick introduction of each of the bridesmaids and groomsmen. The wedding party moved toward their assigned tables and remained standing as the rest of the guests joined them to welcome "for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Devon Woodcomb." Applause ensued as Ellie and Devon walked in, heading straight for the dance floor. The song changed and the couple shared their first dance together as husband and wife.

As they danced, everyone took their seats and chatted softly, some taking pictures of the happy couple, others clinking their water glasses to elicit a kiss from the couple. Sarah signaled to Mei Ling to go ahead and start serving the appetizers.

Everything was running smoothly, each course was distributed in a timely manner and Sarah could hear the praise each guest had for the dishes. At one point, she caught Zondra's eye and the two shared a knowing smirk.

Chuck leaned over as he took a bite of his tiramisu. "You have outdone yourself once again, love." He leaned over and brushed his lips against hers. His praise was misplaced, however; she hadn't even been in the kitchen since dinner started. But, she wasn't going to turn down the opportunity to kiss her boyfriend. When they pulled away, she smirked at him.

"Don't you have to go and give a speech or something?" she reminded him. He paled slightly.

"It's that time?"

"It's that time." Taking one last bite of his tiramisu and a gulp of his water, Chuck wiped his mouth, and stood up, making his way over to the stage to meet up with the maid of honor. The maid of honor spoke first, talking about how long she'd known Ellie, the change she'd seen in her friend after she'd met Devon, how happy he makes her and vice versa. It was a beautiful speech and Sarah swore she saw tears threatening the bride's eyes. Next, Chuck stepped up and cleared his throat.

"Uh… Hi," he greeted awkwardly. "You guys may know me as Ellie's little brother. And I just wanted to say a few quick words to my sister and my new brother." Chuck paused as he wiped a clammy hand on his pant leg and adjusting his tie. "Ellie and I… We haven't had the easiest childhood. She was pretty much the head of the house at the age of 12. And… I wasn't exactly the easiest kid brother to deal with." There were slight chuckles at that. "But Ellie… she took care of me. She made sure that I had a home, food to eat, clothes to wear. She's spent her whole life taking care of me. But then, one day, she brought home this guy. Devon. And, I saw that he made her happy. That he took care of _her_. That he _enjoyed_ taking care of her and making her happy. Devon was… awesome. And, I knew, even then, that he would give my sister what she deserved: a life of love, happiness, and adventure. The two are perfect for each other. The head and the heart. And I wish them all the best and many nieces and nephews." The crowd chuckled again. "To Ellie and Devon."

"Cheers!" Everyone took a sip from their champagne flutes but Chuck still hadn't left the stage. Sarah frowned in confusion.

"Before I leave the stage, there's something else that I need to do," he said. Ellie looked back at Sarah in confusion, but the blonde could only shrug in response. She had no idea what her boyfriend was doing. "I promised Ellie, once, when we were in high school, that I would sing at her wedding." Sarah's eyes widened. She knew that Chuck could hold a tune, but to perform with a live band? He hadn't even told her that he was planning this. "And, well, after this, you all are free to hit the dance floor. So… Ellie, Devon. This one's for you." The band started playing a slow song started and Chuck loosened his tie slightly.

 _"_ _Wise men say  
_ _Only fools rush in.  
_ _But I can't help falling in love with you."_

Sarah gasped slightly. Chuck had… a beautiful voice. She wondered why he never shared that with her. Chuck locked eyes with Sarah briefly and he shot her a wink. There was a key change and a shift in tempo, making the song move from a soulful ballad to an upbeat jazz song meant to get people to dance. It worked.

 _"_ _Shall I stay?  
_ _Would it be a sin  
_ _If I can't help falling in love with you?"_

As Chuck continued the song, more and more guests stood up out of their seat to move toward the dance floor. Sarah herself remained standing at the edge of the dance floor, her eyes trained on her boyfriend. Even though he was singing it as a dedication for his sister and her new brother, Sarah couldn't help but feel like there was a underlying message in there for her as well.

 _"_ _Like a river flows  
_ _Surely to the sea  
_ _Darling, so it goes  
_ _Some things are meant to be._

 _"_ _Take my hand,  
_ _Take my whole life, too.  
_ _For I can't help falling in love with you.  
_ _For I can't help falling in love with you."_

Right as Chuck's song ended, the band transitioned straight into a song that Sarah recognized, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love." The band's singer stood up, taking Chuck's place.

The tall nerd made his way through the dance floor toward his girlfriend. When he reached her, he was surprised to see that her arms were crossed over her chest. He stopped, wondering why she looked mad… or was it annoyed? Both? "You never told me you could sing," was the only thing she said. He chuckled and moved closer to her, deeming it safe. He pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I don't normally advertise that particular talent," he told her sheepishly. He always hated it when Ellie dragged him to karaoke bars and forced him to sing something.

"Why not? You have a great voice," Sarah said. Chuck shrugged, not really sure of his reason.

"I'm not really one for attention," he offered. It wasn't a lie. He hated being the center of attention, preferring to work in the background. Sarah smiled.

"I know," she said. "But I want you to know something. You'll always have my attention." They shared a smile.

"May I have this dance?"

"Of course."

The two joined the rest of the party on the dance floor, even switching dance partners with Ellie and Devon at one point. When it came time for the father/daughter and mother/son dance, Chuck stepped up and danced in lieu of his father. He'd also been the one to give Ellie away at the altar and Ellie wouldn't have had it any other way. Chuck was the one constant in her life. Now, they were both grown up, but she knew that Chuck would always remain as her constant, even if she was married now, or even if they both had their own families. She knew that they would always be there for one another.

The night ended with Ellie and Devon cutting the cake and the guests enjoying dessert before saying their goodbyes. Ellie and Devon had their official send off and were on their way to the airport to start their honeymoon. With everyone gone, it was just Sarah, Chuck, Zondra, and the staff left in the restaurant. Zondra had offered to stay back and close up the restaurant and help clean up so that Sarah could go back and spend time with Chuck, but then Chuck walked by the two women with a tray of dirty dishes balanced on his shoulder.

It was near ten at night when they finally finished cleaning everything. Sarah thanked her staff as they all left. Zondra left with the other staff members, letting Sarah have some time alone with Chuck. Once Sarah locked everything up, she met up with Chuck in his office. "You ready to go?" he asked, looking up from his computer screen, when she entered the room.

"When you are," she replied. He stood from his chair and walked over to her, pulling her into a long, slow kiss.

"This was a great day," he said when they separated. Sarah hummed in agreement, placing her head on his chest. "Thank you."

Sarah pulled away slightly and looked up at him in confusion. "For what?"

"For letting _Il Castello_ be the reception venue and getting the staff to come in and work. For sticking around, helping us get this wedding planned, for… everything that you do for our family," Chuck replied.

"Chuck, it's no big deal," Sarah assured. "Like you said. This is _our_ family. You, Ellie, Devon, even _Morgan_ are my family. Family does stuff like this for each other." Chuck gave her a soft smile and Sarah swore she could see the love he had for her in his chocolate eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." Sarah pressed another kiss on Chuck's lips. "Come on, let's go home."

* * *

And there you have it! Another chapter done! We're reaching the final stretch so hold on tight!

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Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	21. Chuck Versus the Abandonment Issues

I promise I'm not dead and gone. Just getting ready for medical school, where I probably will die and be gone. LOL! Anyway, I'm currently working on the last couple of chapters for this story and hopefully I'll have it all set before I get busy again.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Chuck as Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz are the gods of their creation and Warner Brothers hasn't put up the brand for sale.

* * *

Chuck Versus the Abandonment Issues

"Hey Chuck, look."

Chuck paused the video game he was currently playing to look over at his girlfriend, who was sitting beside him on the couch, her laptop on her lap. "What?"

"I just got an email from some Food Network producer," she said spinning the computer so that he could see the screen. Intrigued, he set his controller down and took the computer from Sarah.

He quickly scanned the email, clicking on the link provided. "Sarah, I think he wants you to compete on The Next Iron Chef."

"Are you serious?" Sarah asked, scooting over as her eyes bugged out of her head slightly. "Wow… Uh…"

"Sarah, this is great! Oh, my God, I'm so proud of you!" He placed a kiss on the side of Sarah's head. Sarah read over the email once more. Chuck's rambling about how awesome it was to have an Iron Chef as his girlfriend faded into the background. "I mean, Can you imagine? Iron Chef Sarah Walker. It really rolls right off the tongue," Chuck's voice becoming clear again.

"That's what you said about 'Special Agent Sarah Walker,'" she reminded him with a chuckle. She shut the laptop and placed it on the coffee table in front of him.

"That's just because you're so kick-ass in whatever you do. Besides, you did graduate from the Culinary Institute of America. Not my fault that they happen to have the same initials as the Central Intelligence Agency." Sarah rolled her eyes at him as they leaned in for a kiss. Right before their lips touched, the doorbell rang. Chuck groaned and Sarah laughed. "I'll get it," she said as she got up from the couch. Chuck reached for his game controller to continue his game.

Rolling her eyes at her boyfriend's antics, Sarah answered the door with a smile, opening it just enough that her body blocked a view into the rest of the home. On the other side was an older couple. "Hi, can I help you?" she greeted politely despite the oddity of the situation.

"Yes, we're looking for Charles Bartowski?" the woman said. "Does he still live here?"

"Uh… Yeah. May I ask who's asking?"

"Babe? Who's there?" Chuck's voice called out from behind her, getting closer. The door opened wider as Chuck pulled it open. He stopped, frozen. Even though they weren't in contact, Sarah could feel the tension rolling off of Chuck. "Mom? Dad?"

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Chuck, Sarah, and Chuck's parents were all sitting in Chuck's living room in an awkward silence. "Do you want me to…?" Sarah offered to leave so that Chuck could have a private word with the two people who'd left him and his sister.

"No. Stay. Please," he told her. She nodded and took his hand in hers. "So, Mom, Dad, what… what are you doing here? What are you doing _back?_ "

"Charles," Chuck's mom said. "It's all very complicated."

"So, what, you're just not going to tell me? What about Ellie? We're not little kids anymore." Chuck's eyes went wide. "Does Ellie know you're here? That you're back? You know she lives across the courtyard. No, wait, you don't know that. Wait. How did you know that I live here?" Chuck frowned in confusion. He'd started rambling and Sarah realized that he probably wasn't going to stop anytime soon on his own volition.

"Chuck, Honey," she placated. "I know you have a lot of questions, but how about you ask them one at a time? Maybe we should get Ellie and Devon to come over that way this all gets done in one fell swoop."

Chuck looked into her eyes, seeming to draw strength from her before nodding. "Yeah, yeah, you're right. We should get Ellie." Sarah gave an encouraging smile.

"I'll go get her. Okay?" She placed a chaste kiss on his lips, mindful that his parents were watching them. "I'll be right back." She stood up and left the apartment. Taking a deep breath, Sarah walked across the courtyard over to Ellie and Devon's apartment and knocked on the door. It took a while, but eventually the older Bartowski sibling answered the door, still in her scrubs. It was then that Sarah remembered that Ellie had worked the night shift last night and had probably just gotten home.

"Hey, Sarah! What's up?" she asked cheerily.

"Um… Not much," she said. How the hell was she supposed to tell an exhausted neurosurgeon that her parents were back out of the blue? "I did want to ask you if you could come over to the apartment."

"Uh… I'd love to, Sarah, but I just got back from a gnarly shift and I'm pretty beat. Maybe another time?" Ellie gave her a smile, but Sarah could see the brunette struggling to get it to reach her eyes. She really hated herself in that moment.

"Actually… It's kind of important." Ellie frowned. Sarah could see the worry creep into the doctor's eyes as she ran over different possible scenarios. _She'd never guess it._

"How important?" she asked. "Like… Chuck got his head stuck in a _Stormtrooper_ helmet? Or like… my parents are back from God knows where?"

Sarah blinked. _Did she… What?_

"How did…?" Ellie pointed behind Sarah and she turned. Sure enough, there was a clear view of her parents sitting in the living room, a squirmy Chuck right across from them. "I'm sorry, El."

Ellie waved her off. "Sarah, you have nothing to be sorry for," she said. Sarah was impressed at the calm and collected demeanor of the woman standing in front of her. "I guess we should head over there, huh?"

"Are you sure?" Sarah asked. "I can tell them that you're asleep or something."

Ellie shook her head. "No, I can talk to them. Besides, I wouldn't want Chuck to face this on his own, you know?" As though realizing what she'd implied, Ellie added on, "And, I know he has you, but it's different."

"I know what you mean, Ellie," Sarah assured. "No offense taken."

The two women walked back across the courtyard to the unit that currently held a tall, curly-haired nerd and his estranged parents. When they walked in, Ellie stopped, frozen. It was like the weight of the situation had finally hit her now that her parents were actually in front of her. Just as quick as she froze, she rebooted and moved to sit beside her brother. "Mom, Dad," she said, her voice controlled. "You're back."

Feeling like she was intruding, Sarah spoke up. "How about I prepare us some food and let you guys catch up." She caught Chuck's gaze and gave a reassuring nod before turning toward the kitchen. She whipped up something that would normally be really quick for her to make, but she took her time making it in order to give the family some time to work through their discussion. When she realized that she had finished cooking, she wanted something else to do so she decided to use the baguette sitting on the counter to make some garlic bread. She also texted Devon, getting him up to speed on the situation. He replied saying that he'd be over as soon as possible.

Ellie did most of the talking. Chuck just sat there trying to comprehend what was happening. "Where did you go? What happened to you?" Ellie asked.

"Ellie, I know that this is a lot to process right now, but we need you to just listen," his mom said. "I promise we'll explain everything."

"Okay, so start explaining."

And they did, boy did they start explaining. They told a tale about spies and a computer and Russian arms dealer and how his mother had been taken when Chuck was nine and Ellie was twelve. His father explained that he'd been distant because he spent most of his time trying to find his mother to bring her home until he found out that he'd gotten close enough that he found out that someone was tailing him and realized he had to leave in order to keep them safe. It was like something out of a movie or TV Show.

"Wait," Ellie interrupted, grasping her hands in front of her, a habit she'd picked up whenever she was trying to process something. "You're telling us… that the two of you worked for the United States government as _spies_. And you left us to keep us safe. But now, you've what, completed your mission and now its safe to come back?"

"Eleanor," their Dad tried to explain.

"Pancakes," she said, looking him straight in the eye. "You promised us pancakes for dinner and never came home." Stephen Bartowski frowned in guilt.

"And you…" Ellie said, turning to her mother. "You left the day after Chuck accidently broke your favorite necklace. Do you know _how long_ it took me to convince him that it wasn't his fault that you left?" Ellie dropped leaned her head against her fists in frustration, then took a deep breath, gathering herself. "The two of you left us. And now you're telling us that you're just back? I mean, you've missed pretty much every major milestone in our lives: high school graduation, college graduation, Chuck opened his own business, I'm a doctor now, I'm _married_ for crying out loud."

"Eleanor, Sweetie," Mary Bartowski placated. "I know that we couldn't be there in person because it was too dangerous, but I was watching, and I'm sure your father was, too. We were there in spirit. We kept tabs, made sure the two of you were safe. But, we had to keep our distance so long as the threat was still out there. But now, the threat is gone and it's safe for us to come back."

"I just… I'm gonna need some time," Ellie said, standing up to go to the kitchen.

That left Chuck alone with his parents. He had yet to say more than five words to them. But, now was a better time than never. "She's been through a lot. We both have," he said. "Ellie was supporting the two of us at eighteen with two jobs, while she went to college. Our whole lives, we were dependent on each other. And now, the two of you just come in and change all of it." He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Just… Be patient. Give us both time to… process everything."

"Of course, son," Mary said.

"Hey guys? I made lunch if you're hungry," Sarah interrupted with a smile.

"That sounds great," Chuck's father said climbing to his feet. "Thank you…"

"Sarah," the blonde supplied helpfully. "I'm afraid with the abruptness of it all we haven't been officially introduced. I'm Sarah Walker, Chuck's girlfriend." She extended a hand to shake Stephen's.

"Ah, I see," Chuck's mother said, taking her turn to shake Sarah's hand. "Mary Bartowski."

"Stephen," Chuck's father added.

Sarah smiled warmly. "I hope the two of you enjoy Chicken Parmesan. It's Chuck and Ellie's favorite." Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Please, have a seat, I'll just get the door." The Bartowski parents took their seats at the dining table while Chuck and Ellie were in the kitchen pouring glasses of wine, no doubt having a hushed conversation about how they were going to proceed next. Sarah, on the other hand, moved to the front door to answer it.

Devon stood on the other side. "Hey, I came as soon as I could," he said, sounding slightly out of breath.

"No problem," Sarah assured, keeping her voice hushed. "We're just sitting down for lunch. Chuck and Ellie are in the kitchen."

"This is so crazy," he said in the same whispered tone.

"Tell me about it," she muttered. "Come in, I'm sure Ellie would love to see you right about now." Devon stepped into the apartment, putting on his best smile – which, Sarah admitted, was a pretty great smile.

The three couples gathered around the table and enjoyed the lunch that Sarah had put together. The conversation was stinted, naturally – what else would an estranged family talk about without opening another huge can of worms. Devon did his best to keep the conversation flowing, bless his soul. Chuck and Ellie's parents did their best to answer and show enthusiasm, but the tension between the two siblings overpowered Captain Awesome's ability to be awesome.

"Sarah, this is delicious," Mary Bartowski said as she wiped her mouth.

"Thank you, Mrs. Bartowski," she replied with a smile.

"Please, call me Mary." She shot a furtive glance at Chuck who gave a small shrug as if to say, _I have no idea what to do in this situation_. She didn't blame him.

Instead, she chose to play it safe and go along with what the older woman wanted. "Of course, Mary."

"What is it that you do, Sarah?" Stephen Bartowski asked.

"I'm a chef," she replied. "I own the restaurant, _Il Castello_ , just down the road." Both of the Bartowski parents looked impressed at that. Chuck spoke up for seemingly the first time since they sat down.

"Yeah, Sarah just got an invitation to join The Next Iron Chef," he said proudly. Ellie started at that.

"Seriously? Sarah, that's amazing."

"That's awesome," Devon affirmed, pointing his fork at her with a piece of chicken stuck to the end.

"It's not that big of a deal, it's just an invitation to apply," Sarah said, playing it down.

"But, you definitely should," Chuck said.

"I'm thinking about it," Sarah told him, noncommittally, not wanting to get into the conversation with guests around them. She shot him a look that told him that they'd discuss it later. And, thankfully, he understood and remained silent.

As lunch wound to an end, Sarah and Devon offered to clean up so that the siblings could have more time with their parents. "Nah, it's okay, Devon," Chuck cut in. "I'll help Sarah."

"You sure, bro?" he asked.

"Yeah." Chuck joined Sarah in the kitchen where she was washing the dishes. "Can we talk?"

"If this is about Iron Chef, it can wait," she told him.

"Are you really considering not joining?" he pressed further. She sighed.

"I was," she told him honestly. "Not so much anymore."

"Why not?" he asked. "Is it because my parents showed up?" Sarah didn't answer and Chuck took her silence as an affirmative. "What would my parents showing up have anything to do with you furthering your career?"

Sarah set the dish she was currently scrubbing down and turned to look at him properly. "I'm not gonna leave you when you need me," she told him. "I want to be here to support you through this." Chuck gave her a warm smile.

"And I want to support you and your career," he told her. "I can deal with my parents, Sarah. And, I've got Ellie and Devon here, too."

"I know you can deal with them," she said. He frowned, getting the feeling that she was holding back.

"There's something else," he realized. "What is it?"

After an internal debate, she spoke. "I'll potentially be gone for eight weeks."

"Two months?" he asked. Sarah nodded.

"The show is filmed in New York. If I make it all the way to the end, I'll be there for two months."

"Oh." The weight of what her joining the show would mean hitting him full force.

"Yeah. 'Oh.'"

Chuck was silent for a moment and Sarah turned back to the dishes. As she moved on to the next plate, she felt Chuck's arms wrap around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. "You should apply," he said so softly, Sarah almost missed it.

"What?"

"Apply," he said. "I want you to go. I have a really good feeling about this. I want you to challenge yourself. If you competing to be the next Iron Chef is the next step in your career, then by all means, go. Do it. We'll be supporting you the whole way."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Besides, it's not like you'll be leaving right away, we've got time."

Sarah couldn't believe the man behind her. He'd grown so much since she'd first met him, his confidence had skyrocketed and with that, his security in himself and in their relationship. If he believed that they could make two months apart work, then she did, too. She nodded. "Okay. I'll do it. I'll apply." He kissed her shoulder and then her temple.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." She turned her head to give him a kiss. "Now, go and wrap up the leftovers and put them in the refrigerator."

"Yes, Chef."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Ellie and Devon left shortly after lunch, wanting to get some sleep since they did just get back from a night shift. "Mom, Dad, do you have a place to stay?" Chuck asked.

"Actually, your father was able to buy back our old house in Studio City, so… we'll be moving back in," Mary answered. Chuck looked surprised at that.

When Chuck didn't say anything, Sarah spoke up. "You know, I would love to have you both visit the restaurant," she said. "If you two are free tonight, I can put you on the list."

"That would be lovely, Sarah, thank you," Stephen said.

"We will… see you tonight," Mary smiled. They turned to leave when Chuck stopped them. They both turned back to face their son.

"You're sure it's safe for the two of you to come back?" he asked. The Bartowski parents shared a look before looking back at Chuck.

"Yes, Charles," Stephen said. "We wouldn't have come back otherwise."

Chuck nodded. "Okay. I believe you," he said. "I just… I don't want to think that you'll be back for good only to find that you've left again… I… I don't think Ellie and I could handle that again." Mary stepped forward and rested a hand on Chuck's cheek in a motherly gesture.

"Your father and I are here to stay." Chuck stepped in and hugged his mother tightly. Sarah knew in that moment that he'd forgiven them. The kind nerd always had that ability to forgive and to see the best in everyone. When the mother and son pulled away, he turned to his father and gave him a hug as well. When they pulled away, Chuck spoke.

"You _have_ to come by my office sometime. I think you'd really like it."

"Can't wait," the older man said. They said their goodbyes and Chuck's parents left, leaving Sarah and Chuck alone in their home once more.

"Well," Chuck said. "That was quite the eventful morning."

"It was," Sarah agreed. "And as much as I would love to stay with you, I need to go to work."

"I know," Chuck said. He pulled her into a hug. "I'll drive you in."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely." Chuck waited in the living room as Sarah changed quickly and soon, the two were off to _Il Castello._

When Sarah got in, Zondra was there helping prep in the kitchen. "Hey, Zondra," Sarah greeted.

"Hey, Walker."

"Can I talk to you in my office really quick?"

Zondra followed the blonde into the office just outside of the kitchen with a curious look on her face. "What's up?"

"So… There's a possibility that I'll be gone for two months," Sarah said.

"What? Why?"

"I'm applying to join The Next Iron Chef."

"What? Seriously? Sarah, that's great!" Zondra was genuinely excited for her friend. They'd always talked about wanting to be on the Food Network and now Sarah was actually going to do it. She'd been featured on plenty of magazines and _Il Castello_ has been doing so great that it was only a matter of time until they got their first Michelin Star, not that it mattered to Sarah, she'd already gotten three.

"Yeah, so… while I'm gone, I need you to be in charge. I'll iron out all the details later but between you, Chuck, Casey, and Big Mike, I think you can handle eight weeks without me here."

"You can count on us."

"Perfect." Zondra turned to head back toward the kitchen when Sarah spoke up. "Oh! By the way, Chuck and Ellie's parents are back and they'll be having dinner at the restaurant tonight."

"Wait, seriously? Just… out of the blue?'

"Yup."

"Yikes, that can't have been easy for them," Zondra said with a wince, having heard enough of Chuck and Ellie's backstory to get the gist of the situation.

"Tell me about it."

"Well, I'll let the front of the house know so they can be on the look out."

"Great. I had Chuck flag their names so they don't need a reservation," Sarah said.

"Sounds good."

With that, Zondra left Sarah alone in her office. She took a seat at her desk and just let everything catch up to her. It was insane, everything that was going on at once. Chuck's parents arriving, her going to New York to compete to become an Iron Chef; it was all too much to happen in one day.

 _First things first,_ she thought to herself. _The restaurant_. If she were to leave the restaurant for two months, then she needed to make sure everything was in order and that plans were in place. She spent some time taking time map things out. She trusted Chuck and Zondra to take care of the books and keeping everything accounted for. And, she trusted Casey and Big Mike to keep things in check. There probably wasn't much for her to worry about, but it would be the longest time she'd spent away from the restaurant. After squaring all of that away she opened up her email again and followed the appropriate links to fill out the application for the show. Just as she was about to submit it, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" she called out, turning away from the application. As the door opened, Chuck's head popped in. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

"Uhh… Mom and Dad wanted to have dinner with Ellie and me so we ended up coming here since they promised you they'd come tonight," he said. "That cool? I know we set them up with a reservation for two and now it's four and I didn't want to overstep my bounds–"

"Chuck," she interrupted. "You're not overstepping any bounds. You've said many times before that your family is my family. That still stands, you know." Chuck smiled shyly. Sarah rolled her eyes and gestured for him to come in and join her. He did. "Hey," she said as he stood in front of her. "I know that things are crazy right now with your parents back, but don't forget about the man you've grown to be. A man that is confident, and loving, and kind. Show them that. Okay?" Chuck nodded.

"I love you."

"I love you, too. Now go." He smiled and leaned in to kiss her. When they pulled away, his eyes found her screen.

"Is that the application?" he asked.

"Yup."

"You're gonna submit it."

"Yeah. But, now I'm thinking I don't want to."

"What? Why? I thought we talked about it already."

"I know. I don't want to submit it, though," she said. "I want you to." Chuck looked at her as though she'd grown a second head. "You're the one who always believes in me. I want you to submit my application. Think of it as… a good luck charm. You're my good luck charm." Chuck's smile grew until he was giving her his special smile – the one he'd reserved just for her.

"Let's turn this baby in." He leaned over her computer and Sarah watched as he clicked the big red 'submit' button in the bottom right corner. "Boom. Done. You are now an official applicant to become _The Next Iron Chef_ ," he announced with the voice of one of those monster truck announcers. Sarah rolled her eyes at his antics.

"Thank you. Now, go. You're keeping your parents waiting. And, more importantly, you've left Ellie alone with them."

"Ooh! You're right. Bye!" He placed one last peck on her lips before disappearing behind her office door.

She looked at the confirmation page on her computer and bit her lip. _Now, we wait._

With nothing more to do in her office, Sarah dawned her black chef's jacket and rolled her hair up into a bun. She stepped into the kitchen, nodding briefly at Zondra, who was busy barking orders at the sous chefs. Sarah jumped in wherever they needed her – they really didn't but Sarah wanted someplace to jump in anyway. She stood near the window, checking dishes, making sure that they were still serving food to her standard; she was so impressed. With a nod to Casey, who stood nearby, Sarah walked out of the kitchen to the front of the house where she chatted with patrons and thanked them for dining at _Il Castello_. A familiar head of blonde hair caught her eye at one of the tables and she smiled in amusement as she walked over.

"Bobby Flay," she greeted. "What on _earth_ are you doing here?" World-class chef, Bobby Flay, a member of the coveted Iron Chef club, was eating in her restaurant. They'd met once or twice in New York before he'd gotten his big break on Food Network. One of the restaurants she'd worked at during her high school years was actually one of his.

"Sarah Walker. It's been a long time." He stood and gave her a hug. "I'd heard you were running quite the joint and I had to check it out myself. I gotta say I'm impressed."

"Thank you. I wish you'd called ahead, I could've had your table flagged or something."

"Oh, no, it's nothing. Besides, your staff is fantastic, and the food… perfect," he complemented.

"Thank you," she smiled. "So, what are you doing here in Los Angeles?"

"Just visiting some friends and I thought I'd drop by."

"Well, thanks for coming."

"And, I hope to be seeing you sometime soon? In New York?" he asked.

"Of course! I actually just sent in my application for _The Next Iron Chef_ ," Sarah told him.

"That sounds amazing! I wish you luck."

"Thank you, Chef."

Sarah bid the original American Iron Chef goodbye before making her way over to Chuck's table. "Hey," she said as she walked up. "How's everything?"

"Oh, it's just wonderful," Mary said.

"Yeah, Sarah, the food just gets better and better," Ellie added. Sarah smiled.

"Thank you. Is there anything else we can get you?"

"I think we're good here, babe, thanks," Chuck said, his eyes telling her that he wasn't just talking about the food. A weight lifted off of Sarah's shoulders that she didn't even know was there. She was glad that Chuck's family was slowly on the path to repair; she knew how much family meant to him and she knew that having a good relationship with his parents was important to him.

"That's great! Well, I'm gonna head back in so just let your server know if you need anything else."

"Thank you again for having us," Stephen said politely as Sarah smiled one last time before heading back into the kitchen.

After Sarah disappeared into the back of the house, Chuck turned back to his family. "So, Charles," his dad said. "Tell us more about your company."

"Right! _Orion Tech_. We're doing really great. We've been focused mainly on our video game recently but I'm thinking about going into different kinds of software like security or business frameworks." Chuck didn't miss the furtive look that passed between his mother and father but decided to not say anything about it. Chuck's father gave a proud smile.

"Aces, Charles, Aces." Chuck smiled at the familiar phrase, not realizing how much he missed it. "You know, I could probably help you out. I know a thing or two about computers."

Chuck chuckled. "I know you do." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his mom and Ellie having their own conversation. When his mom called him and asked if he and Ellie wanted to join them for dinner, Ellie was hesitant. She'd been over at the apartment and they talked about what it meant for them now that their parents were back.

 _"Let's at least give them a chance," he said, muting the phone on his mom._

 _"Give them a chance?" Ellie asked incredulously as though Chuck had just asked her to jump out of plane without a parachute._

 _"Yeah, let's have dinner with them," he suggested. "It'll give us the chance to reconnect, you know? We can get our questions answered without blowing up at each other because we'd be in public, we'd also be in_ Il Castello _so it'll be familiar ground for us. Ellie nodded slowly, warming up to the idea._

 _"Okay, yeah. Let's do it."_

They'd literally hashed out all of the unanswered questions over appetizers and as the entrées came out, they moved into lighter conversations: Chuck's business, and Ellie's work. Chuck even asked about how accurate the movies were to the spy world. They'd really connected and he saw that things really were going to be okay.

"Hey guys?" Ellie said, pulling the two separate conversations back into one. "I actually have an announcement to make." Chuck raised a brow, as did their parents. They silenced and looked at her. "I'm pregnant." Chuck's eyes went wide and he actually dropped his fork.

"What?" Chuck asked incredulously. Ellie nodded, bursting at the seams with excitement.

"I just found out earlier today and I haven't told Devon, yet," she admitted. "But with all of us here and finally together as a family again, I really wanted to share the news with you."

"El, that's fantastic! Awesome is gonna flip!" He leaned over and hugged his sister tightly before pulling away quickly. "Oh my God! Am I hugging you to hard? Did I hurt the baby? I hurt the baby." Ellie and their parents laughed.

"Charles, dear, it doesn't work like that," his mom said fondly. She turned to Ellie. "Eleanor, I'm so proud of the woman you've become. And… I know that your father and I weren't exactly present during most of your childhood, but if you would have us, we would love to be a part of our grandchild's life."

Ellie looked like she was about to let the waterworks run free as she nodded. "I would really love that."

"This is so great. Our family just keeps growing," Chuck said. Ellie wiped away a tear.

"You're next, little brother," she said. Chuck blushed.

"What? No. Sarah and I… we haven't even thought about marriage yet. We haven't even been dating for a year."

"So what? You love each other. Even a blind man could see that." Chuck thought about that. Ellie was one to call it like she saw it and if she saw it… He already knew – even if they had only been dating for a little over six months – that he loved Sarah and could already see himself spending the rest of his life with her. With maybe babies. But… was it too soon? Would Sarah be for it? Was she even thinking about marriage? Chuck shook his head to dispel the doubts. There was no reason for him to be having any. But then again…

"Let's just… give it some time," he settled. "I mean, she _is_ about to leave for New York."

"So she is going?" Chuck's parents spoke up. He nodded, pride evident in his smile.

"Yeah. I'm so excited for her. This will be a great opportunity for her."

"Good for her," Stephen said with a smile.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

"Hey," Chuck greeted as Sarah shuffled into their room tiredly.

"You're still up," she noted as she hung her chef's jacket over the back of his desk chair.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Go ahead and get dressed first and then we'll talk," Chuck said. Sarah nodded, moving toward the closet to get her clothes before disappearing into the bathroom. Before long, she reemerged and soon settled into her spot by Chuck's side. She rested her head on his chest as he slowly ran his finger through her hair.

"Is everything okay?" she asked. "How did dinner go with your parents?"

"It went great," he answered; Sarah could hear the smile in his voice. "Things are really looking up."

"That's good."

"Ellie's pregnant."

Surprised, Sarah turned her head to look at her boyfriend. "She is?" He only nodded his response. "Chuck, that's fantastic," she said as settled back into his chest.

"When do you leave?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I find out tomorrow. I'm sure it'll be in a week or two."

"You'll do great," he promised.

"I know," she replied. "Because I'll have you cheering me on."

The next morning, Sarah received a call from the Food Network producer saying that her flight to New York was scheduled for the Monday after next so that she had approximately a week and a half to settle anything that needed to be settled with either her restaurant or her personal life.

So, that's what Sarah did for the time that she had. She spent time with Chuck and Ellie, and even had some time to get to know and bond with the Bartowski parents. Though they didn't get along right away, it wasn't long before Sarah and Mary were close.

Then, Sarah was leaving and Chuck was driving her to LAX. It was definitely a bittersweet moment when they said their goodbyes just outside of the security checkpoint.

They didn't even have to say anything to each other because it'd all been said. Instead, they gave each other one final kiss before Sarah turned away and went through security. Ten minutes later, once she was through, she gathered her things and turned to see Chuck still standing there. With one last smile, she turned away once more in search of her terminal.

* * *

And there it is! After all this time... Well, as always...

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